


On Scaled (S)TRQ Black Wings

by Vergil1989



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, RWBY
Genre: Action & Romance, Adoption, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Dawnguard DLC, Dragonborn DLC, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hearthfire DLC, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Character Death, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Relationship(s), Post-Oblivion Crisis, Post-Volume 5 (RWBY), Recovery, Redemption, Spoilers: Volume 5 (RWBY), Tags May Change, Team STRQ centric (RWBY), Team as Family, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Vampires, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-05-19 23:03:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 80,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14882907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vergil1989/pseuds/Vergil1989
Summary: When one of Raven's portals inexplicably goes berserk, she, Taiyang, and Qrow end up in the snow covered fields of Skyrim. With no means to return, and a lot of bad blood between them three days after the Battle of Haven, it'll take a small miracle to ensure they don't kill each other before Alduin does it himself.





	1. Prologue:  An Unwanted Vacation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, the prologue chapter I'd meant to post originally didn't copy right, and SOMEHOW, chapter 1 ended up being used twice. I do apologize for the confusion on my end, and for not catching it a lot sooner. I don't know how long it's been that way, but I kinda wish you guys had said something so I could've fixed it a fair bit sooner lol. Meh oh well, still, sorry for the mixup guys and gals. See ya!

**Opening Notes** :  This idea was originally an Omake where, I more or less had Raven and the rest of Team STRQ drop in Skyrim, with Raven just in time to stumble across Lucia when she was near death’s door, over on Jesse K’s Skyrim and RWBY crossover that’s been VERY interesting, and very well written to boot.  He and a friend of his have done an amazing job of bringing their story to life, which has allowed me to come up with the beginning of a tale here. Between a number of lively conversations with the fans of his own story, and several Omakes and a couple of pages worth of notes thanks to said conversations and the like, as well as an Inheritance Cycle/RWBY crossover, this has finally come about in a far more proper fashion rather than the half assed attempt I started fairly recently.   **Team STRQ Flies Again** was more me trying to distract myself from the fact one of my dogs was needing extensive surgery on her eyes so she wouldn’t be in pain anymore, than a serious attempt at this story that I’m doing now, and since she went in for said surgery just this morning as of this writing, (6/6/18), and I’ve since heard she’s doing okay, I’m not nearly as manic as a result.

**_So_ ** with that in mind, here’s the first, and true, attempt at this little story that up until now, had been more of a collection of random thoughts and half baked ideas with a lot of insightful conversations sprinkled throughout.  I do apologize for the confusion for those who were already on the Team STRQ thing however, (for those SpaceBattles readers anyway), but that one will likely be allowed to fade off into the sunset due to the stated reasons above.  The Omakes I made on Jesse K’s story will be notes and sources of inspiration for this, possibly rewritten in such a way as to better fit what’s happening as a whole, but otherwise they’re good for the entertainment value if nothing else, hehe.  At any rate, take care guys and I hope you all enjoy this. See ya!

  
  
  
  


**On Scaled (S)TRQ Black Wings**

  
  
  
  


**Prologue**

**An Unwanted Vacation**

\-----------

**Anima, Mistral**

**The City of Haven**

**Haven Academy**

It’d been three days since the Battle for Haven, and things had….more or less gone back to normal.  There was tension, sure, but Qrow watched from the sidelines as the source of said tension finally got together to talk out their problems.  And oh boy did his honorary niece, Yang Xiao Long, and her girlfriend, the faunus and former White Fang member, Blake Belladonna, although they were probably too caught up in their issues to think in such terms, have a lot to talk about as they left the courtyard side by side together.  He’d heard more than a few arguments between them and the others of Team RWBY, with his little Ruby being the most vocal of the bunch, much to his surprise, ever since Blake’s return, but now it seemed, at least to him, that things were going to be okay.

That didn’t mean he was truly happy though, because all it did was remind him of his own problems with his twin sister, Raven.

Nodding his head as he walked past Lie Ren, a green clad young man nestled on the far corner of the courtyard, his legs drawn up in a meditative pose, Qrow sighed and put his hands behind his head as he wandered over to the stone railing that looked over a very long drop to the valley floor below.  The view at least was spectacular, but he didn’t see it, his thoughts turned to his old life in the bandit tribe that he and his sister had been a part of for most of their childhood. The same bandit tribe that he’d left once he’d seen just what kind of monsters were hiding in the darkest reaches of the world.  One in particular really, but thankfully, Salem had been quiet since Cinder’s fall. That would likely change soon once word got back to her that her Fall Maiden had bit the dust, but for the time being, things were looking up.

_ So why do I feel like this is the calm before the storm? _  Qrow asked himself as he turned his red eyes towards the clear blue sky, the morning sun coloring the valley in radiant orange, reds, and gold light as it rose ever higher.  The valley walls, most of them covered in vines, beautiful foliage full of flowers, with large houses and tall buildings nestled on terraced levels on both sides of the valley itself, seemed to come alive, but he didn’t see it.  All he could think of was his sister’s face as she spat out condemnations against him, denying that they had ever been family. He’d always known she was desperate to survive, to keep the Branwen tribe in one piece, to try and find a way to outlast Salem and her inexhaustible forces, but he hadn’t realized just how far she’d go to make that happen.  Denying him, siding with Salem, after everything they’d been through? Losing so many friends, losing...Summer, her breaking it off with Taiyang and leaving Yang in his care?

Denying him...that had hurt more than he was willing to admit.

Sensing his approach long before Oscar Pine, the current body for one Professor Ozpin, Qrow sighed and let his hands fall on the railing before addressing the pint sized boy that barely came up to his chest.  “What’s on your mind Oz?”

“Sorry….it’s just me.”  Oscar murmured uncomfortably as he rubbed the back of his head with one hand, the other clasped around the head of Ozpin’s cane weapon.  The image was uncanny, despite the face and body being quite different from the old Professor’s, the same man Qrow owed a great deal to despite how much he’d lost in the immortal’s service.  He didn’t blame Oz or Oscar for that though, Team STRQ had made their own choices, and he’d learned to live with them. As such, he merely smiled as Oscar came to a stop next to him by the railing.  “I just...saw you lost in your own head, which is...something I can relate to.” The young man continued once they were side by side.

“Heh, not like this kid.”  Still, Qrow appreciated Oscar’s intent to try and alleviate some of what was so clearly bothering him.  The whole reincarnation thing aside, it was obvious to him that Oscar and Oz were indeed very much alike, and that they were both driven to try and help as many of their friends and allies as they could.  Friends in Oscar’s case, since he was barely older than Ruby and wasn’t jaded by Oz’s vast experiences, but in Oz’s...that was a bit of another story. That didn’t stop Qrow from trying to open up with the young man at his side as he said one word that was loaded with so many emotions it would’ve been impossible to miss.  “Raven.”

“Your twin?”  Oscar asked, to which Qrow raised an eyebrow but otherwise remained silent.  “I was an only child...so I don’t know what it’s like to have siblings. And no, Ozpin didn’t tell me, but it was pretty obvious you two were related.”

“Well, be glad you didn’t have that headache to deal with.”  Spinning so his back was to the railing, Qrow crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, letting his chin fall nearly to his chest.  “I always knew she was driven, but I never would’ve thought she’d throw in with the enemy we’ve given so much to destroy. And I get why she did it, but-”

“But you still can’t help but be angry at her.”  Oscar solemnly replied, his gaze on the rising sun, but Qrow knew he where his focus was.

“More like….sad.”  He muttered, his hand halfway to his inside vest pocket before he thought better of pulling out his flask.  “There was a time we were almost of the same mind on everything. If someone tried to touch her, they had to go through me, and the same could be said of her.  But when we were assigned the mission to infiltrate Beacon Academy, to try and learn how to...kill Huntsmen that went after our tribe….things began to change.”

“Do you regret it?”  While Qrow doubted Oscar knew the whole story as of yet, the question still brought to mind the boy’s argument with Hazel just a few days ago.  For being such a young squirt, the kid was already possessed of a ‘wise old soul’, and that wasn’t even getting into the literal reincarnated immortal currently residing in his head.  The question still left Qrow a little tongue tied though, so Oscar repeated himself. “Do you regret taking that mission, which led to where you are now?”

Smiling despite all of the conflicting emotions in his chest, Qrow shook his head and ruffled Oscar’s unkempt head of black hair, so much like his own in a way.  “Not a chance kid. I might not agree with old man Oz on everything, but I do know Salem needs to be stopped, because if she isn’t, then we’re all dead. Besides, I was a bandit, same as Raven, we lived with death everyday, more so than anyone here can claim.  But...that doesn’t make it any easier to lose a friend.”

“Summer?”  Qrow could only nod, not about to ask if Ozpin had let  _ that  _ particular name slip at some point.  He still glanced down as understanding filled his amber eyes, and Oscar sighed this time.  “How do you do it Qrow?”

“Ya know, if you’d asked me that before the fight, I’d have said a lot of sleepless nights and a flask full of sake.”  Nodding his head towards the gathering crowd by the side doors into the academy, Oscar turned as Qrow smiled fondly at Ruby, Yang, Blake, and Weiss all huddled together, arms wrapped around each other in a crushing embrace with Nora, Ren, and Jaune watching from the sidelines, smiles on their respective faces or shouting encouragement in Nora’s case.  “But moments like that make it all worthwhile, kid. Besides, I found something special with the rest of Team STRQ back in the day, something I’d die to protect even if we’ve been broken up since Summer’s death.”

“Something Raven feels too I bet, even if she’d probably deny it from what little I know about her.”  Qrow, for once in recent memory, could only blink at Oscar’s words as he tore his gaze away from Ruby and the others to gawk down at the young man.  Seeing him standing there, both hands on Oz’s collapsible cane, Qrow couldn’t help but see Oz more clearly than ever for just a moment before Oscar looked away, embarrassed at what he’d said, no doubt afraid he’d somehow offended him.

Slapping a hand on the boy’s back, Qrow was quick to reassure him before he could think otherwise for too long.  “You might not be wrong kid….but some wounds take a long time to fully heal, and even then they leave scars that never fade.”  No longer able to fight the urge, Qrow sighed as he pulled out his flask, unscrewed the top, and took a heavy sip from the contents before putting it back into his dull gray vest.  The burn was reassuring, but it could never make the hole in his chest fade into a bad memory, it could only dull it for a while. Walking away, Qrow half heartedly waved over one shoulder.  “You have fun now Oscar. Oz, don’t do anything too crazy without me, ya hear?”

“Where are you going Uncle Qrow?”  Ruby asked when she and the others noticed he was leaving.

_ Uncle Qrow, where’s mommy? _  Shaking off the unbidden and definitely unwanted memory as best he could, Qrow forced a smile and shrugged.  “I’ll be around squirt. I just...need to clear my head is all.” The knowing frown that tugged at the silver eyed girl’s lips, turned young woman, told him she wasn’t fooled, but she wasn’t about to stop him either from his intended course.  Not that she actually  _ could _ , probably...but he still felt a pang of guilt in disappointing Ruby, especially since she reminded him so much of Summer, now more than ever with how she’d fought so bravely against Cinder’s followers.  Sighing, he paused halfway through the door, and was about to say something as he turned towards her, only to spot a jet black spider with a large red patch on its thorax. Despite having never seen its like before, he casually flicked it away.  It was enough to help him change his mind again in as many seconds though, and he started away from Ruby once more. “I’ll be back kiddo, promise.”

“Alright….just be in time for the ship tomorrow.”  She called after him. All she got was another half hearted wave, but it was all he had in him to give as the doors shut behind him with a note of finality.

Unbeknownst to Team RWBY and the surviving members of Team JPNR, it was the last anyone would see of Qrow on Remnant for a very long time…

\---------------

**Sanus, Vale**

**Patch**

**Taiyang Xiao Long’s home…**

_ How...did it all go so wrong? _  It was a question Raven had asked herself more than once since the failed destruction of Haven three days ago.  It was in truth, one of many such questions she’d been asking herself since running, again, after it was clear that Ruby, Yang, the ex Schnee heiress, Weiss, and Blake, a former White Fang terrorist since she had it on good authority she’d been on a transport train full of Dust and Atlas equipment with Adam Taurus, were going to pull out a victory despite the odds stacked against them.  It helped Raven had taken down the Fall Maiden of course, a woman who all too appropriately called herself Cinder Fall, but the real victory had gone to her daughter and her friends.

Raven had been, and still was, very proud of just how strong and resourceful Yang had become, but that cynical part of herself that had inevitably wound up pushing away Qrow, possibly for good this time, wondered how long it’d be before one or more of them wound up dead fighting Ozpin’s little war against Salem.  That part refused to be silent, even now on Taiyang’s second floor balcony, with the man she had once given her heart to fast asleep just a short walk away. It’d been….shockingly easy to fall back into old routines with Tai, as if she’d never left all those years ago, but the tension from all that history...and  _ very  _ recent events, left what felt like a dark cloud hanging between them.

It didn’t help she’d told Tai  _ everything  _ that had occurred, but instead of pushing her away, telling her to leave and never come back, which was what she felt she deserved and far more besides, Tai had only shrugged and smiled in that maddeningly endearing way he had about him.

And then he’d sicced Zwei on her.

She hadn’t expected that, so much so that her wrist still tingled from the pup’s surprisingly sharp little teeth, but between her Aura and the fact there’d never been any true harm intended in the first place, there was no damage to her person to speak of.  It’d been merely symbolic and stupidly playful at the same time, but it’d gotten the point across.

Yes, Tai had been upset, he likely still was to some extent, but his ability to read her like an unlocked scroll hadn’t diminished despite how long they’d been apart.  The blow, learning that she’d essentially sided with Salem of all beings….rather her little henchwoman at least, had been softened by the fact Raven had been a sobbing, rambling mess not long after she’d stepped down onto Tai’s front yard and the awkward introductions had been inevitably dealt with.  And now here she was, staring without seeing the shattered moon, her bathed in its pale light, her bare skin covered in goosebumps from the chill pre-dawn air. With only a towel on from having tried to calm her whirling thoughts with a hot bath, a luxury she hadn’t enjoyed for a long time save for the occasional dip in a hot spring that was a short flight as far as her raven form was concerned, it was no surprise she was a little cold.  Not that she would ever show it.

Feeling eyes on her, knowing their source, Raven sighed and looked over her shoulder.  Unsurprisingly, Taiyang was standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his tan, open vested shirt, a little smile on his face as he pretended to be looking at the moon rather than her.  It was hardly the first time she’d been naked around him, and she wasn’t exactly modest in the first place, so Raven only scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. “If you’re going to leer at me, you could at least let me know instead of creeping around.”

“I didn’t want to interrupt your introspection.”  Tai replied, his little smile widening as he pushed away from the open door, and made his way over to the railing.  “That and yes, I was leering, but you are kinda fetching in the moonlight and nothing but a towel, Raven.”

“Hmph.”  Despite her scoff, Raven felt a familiar flutter in her chest she tried very hard not to think about.  Not that it did her any good, not with her defenses so shaken in so many ways. “And you’re still the same, infuriatingly handsome fool...that I was a fool to leave all those years ago.”  She finished with a heavy, defeated sigh. Even when she felt Tai’s hand on her shoulder, she didn’t look up, too lost in her own troubled thoughts. “I couldn’t deal with it, Tai.”

“I know.”  He softly replied, knowing exactly what she was talking about.  “Summer’s death destroyed us all. I...shut down, you ran, Qrow….took up drinking.  We all dealt with it, or didn’t deal with it, in our own ways.”

“I haven’t stopped running, and neither has Qrow.”  She muttered as she shrugged Tai’s hand from her shoulder, ignoring the crestfallen look that appeared on his handsome face.  “...But Yang’s become strong, stronger than I could’ve imagined. You did well, Tai, in making her who she is now.”

“Some of that strength came from you Rave.”  Tai was quick to remind her, but Raven wasn’t hearing it.

“No...she’s better than me.  I’m just sorry it took me so long to see it.”  Raven paused in the doorway and let her head fall back, her long mane of jet black hair still damp from her bath, which meant it fell down in a single wave that caught the moonlight.  She knew what it looked like, the image she was presenting, and wasn’t surprised to feel Tai’s gaze on her as if he was seeing her for the first time all over again. Despite the storm in her chest, she didn’t fight the smile that pulled at her lips.  “She found me, demanded I take her to Ruby, something I owe you for since she admitted that you told her about my Semblance, and she did it with such force and conviction behind her voice. I was impressed, but I was in the middle of my tribe, surrounded by my men, and I wanted her to stay, so I naturally felt inclined to refuse her demands.”

“But you eventually folded, or she wouldn’t be with Ruby now.”  Tai replied neutrally.

“I only  _ folded  _ when it became obvious that refusing her once Weiss caught her attention, that the ensuing confrontation would only attract the Grimm.”  Raven retorted as she spun towards Tai, fire literally springing to her eyes for the briefest moment before she calmed moments later. “...And that’s the problem.  I didn’t give her the respect she deserved for having come so far, with one less arm than what she started with. ...I  _ saw  _ it happen...Tai.”  The emphasis on that one word was hint enough for Tai as his face paled at the realization.  Raven didn’t notice, too caught up in the memory as the vision of Adam cutting Yang down played itself out behind her red eyes again.  “I saw it happen, because she died in a way no physical injury could ever match. And yet she was there, in the center of my camp, surrounded by my people, having somehow overcome all of that.”

“Not without effort.”  Tai countered as Raven turned fully to face him, their roles having reversed so that she was in the doorway now.  “I was here for weeks with her as she lifelessly walked around the house. She barely ate, she hardly slept, she was here but she was...just gone.”   _ Just like me after Summer… _  Was the unspoken comment that was written all over Tai’s face as he sighed this time, his arms dropping to his sides.  “Ruby tried, I tried, even  _ Qrow  _ tried while he was around, but nothing got through for the longest time.  It was only after Ruby left that Yang slowly started to come back around.”

_ Just like I left. _  The thought never made it past her lips, but she knew it was on her face all the same before she turned and started towards her pile of armor at the end of Tai’s bed.  A pile Zwei had taken to using as a bed for some reason she couldn’t begin to fathom since it wasn’t exactly comfortable to wear. She couldn’t imagine trying to sleep on the samurai like attire, yet it didn’t seem to bother the dog as she picked him up by the scruff of his neck before gently, for her at least, setting him aside.  “I considered sending Yang back to you.” She said suddenly as she started to put her armor back on once she’d thrown the towel aside. When Tai didn’t respond, she turned, and saw him simply shrug. “You’re not surprised.”

“No, I figured you’d consider something along those lines.  You’re both very stubborn and passionate, so it’s only natural you’d feel the urge to set her back by sending her home.  So why didn’t you?” Tai asked, genuinely curious she saw.

“Why ask a question to which you know the answer to?”  Raven retorted as she pulled one of her arm guards on before moving to pick up the other.  A hand on her still bare arm stopped her, just as Tai gently turned it over so that they could both see the Maiden tattoos that ran up her arm, which in turn snaked their way towards the center of her back.

Meeting his gaze, and wondering how he’d gotten so close so quickly without her knowing he’d moved, Raven found she couldn’t look away as his smile faded, replaced by a grim line of a frown.  “Because I want to hear it from you.”

Jerking her forearm free of his gentle grasp, Raven simply stared into Tai’s face for the longest time.  When she eventually spoke, her visage was blank, but the swirling emotions in her eyes said a lot on their own.  “Because she’s stubborn, she’s driven, and far more determined than I could ever be. Sending her home would’ve simply driven us further apart a lot sooner, while leaving her to fend for herself a lot longer.  That...and she’s able to do something that I just can’t.” Whatever that was, Raven wasn’t about to say as she finished dressing for the trip that lay ahead of her. Before she could reach the door that would lead to the hallway, and the stairs down to the first floor, Raven paused and looked towards Tai again.  “I….need to go back to my tribe.” When Tai didn’t say anything, save to shift a foot forward, as if torn between standing there and charging after her, Raven ran a gloved hand down her face and sighed heavily. She just knew she was going to regret what she was about to say. “You could come with me.”

“Someone needs to be here for the girls.”  While it was expected, it still rankled Raven something fierce.

“Qrow has already convinced them Ozpin’s little war is all that matters.  Chances are they’ll end up just like Summer before they ever come home again.”  While taking her name and shoving it in Tai’s face was a low blow, Raven felt justified in doing so as she stood once she’d finished, her back to him once more.

“Maybe, but I’d rather they  _ try  _ than let Salem win.”  To his credit, Taiyang didn’t back down even when Raven rounded on him, her eyes ablaze with the light of her immense power.  To make it more infuriating, Tai merely cocked his head to the side and smiled sadly at her. “I get why you ran all those years ago, Raven, but hopeless or not, we have to do something!”

“There  _ is  _ no winning against Salem.”  A blink, and the flare around her red eyes disappeared, but the anger on her face was still present.

But as usual, Taiyang was unaffected by the show of force from her, a show they both knew was all empty air at this point.  “You  _ did  _ defeat the Fall Maiden though.  And you didn’t do it alone.”

_ Vernal… _  Unable to keep looking in his eyes with that brought back to the front of her mind, Raven stalked away from Tai, but she didn’t get far before spinning around.  Whatever she’d been about to say faded though when she met his dark blue eyes once more, and saw that damned smile tinged with sorrow, for her no less, etched onto his handsome face.  As much as she wanted to shout at him, to...try and push him away again, to make him understand that she was beyond saving, especially now that she’d destroyed Salem’s pet Maiden, Raven didn’t have it in her to argue anymore.  Instead, she pulled her sword and slashed at the air between them, ripping open a rift in reality itself right back to her tribe’s camp, to the only other person she had a connection with although it was born of a shared practicality than any true feeling of camaraderie between them.  It was enough though, and s-

Raven had been surprised a grand total of four times that she could recall with any clarity.  The one that warmed her the most despite the shock at the time, had been realizing her time with Tai had given her Yang.  Summer’s death at the hands of Salem’s seemingly endless swarms of Grimm was next on that list. Her finding and eventually becoming the Spring Maiden certainly qualified, especially since as she’d always known once Ozpin had revealed that little tidbit to the team so long ago, it had brought her nothing but trouble and heartache.  The last was happening right before her eyes as her Semblance went out of control, swallowing herself, a barking Zwei, and Taiyang in the same flash of crimson, a fate that was shared by Qrow halfway across the world when her thoughts instinctively called out to him….

\------------

**Tamriel, Skyrim**

**Ivarstead**

**Vilemyr Inn…**

Sirille Thramihle, Siri to her friends, sighed and stared listlessly at the half empty mug of Nord mead in front of her.  The inn was about as plain as she’d come to expect from the hardy folk in this frozen waste of a province, but as beautiful as the countryside was despite this fact, she hadn’t seen much of it.  For one, she’d nearly been executed alongside the infamous rebel king, Ulfric Stormcloak, leader of the Stormcloak rebellion that had plunged Skyrim into a civil war, having been captured in an Imperial ambush meant for him and his people.  She’d simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but her opinion of the locals had been...slightly tainted as a result. The other thing though was far more personal, and it tied into the reason why she was debating if getting drunk in an effort to drown out all of the conflicting emotions in her chest was a good idea or not.  Logically she knew it wasn’t, not with where she was going in the morning, but logic could go suck a chaurus egg for all she cared.

Sighing heavily, she let her golden, lumiscient eyes peer at the front desk, where a woman with dark brown hair and wearing a suit of finely crafted steel armor, a sword and shield on her respective hips, stood silent vigil.  That was another problem she had yet to decide on how she wanted to deal with. It turns out slaying a dragon for the Jarl of Whiterun earned you the respect of the people, who were well known to value strength of arms and valor and honor in battle.  That, and dragons hadn’t been seen in Tamriel, likely the entirety of Nirn, for thousands of years, and with their sudden appearance in the region, an already bad situation with the civil war had become so much worse. But while she’d yet to decide how she felt about Lydia, her Housecarl and sworn shield for her deeds against said dragon, Siri was glad for one thing.  Traveling alone was not what she wanted to do….not now especially.

Pushing her mug of mead aside, Siri half heartedly finished what was on the plate before her before she stood, swung her legs over the bench, and left a handful of gold coins on the table for the innkeeper and her staff.  It was the least she could do for the hospitality they’d given her, despite the fact she was a high elf. People, in Skyrim especially, had an understandable dislike of anyone with gold skin like hers, but she pushed such thoughts aside, too tired in so many ways that she just didn’t want to deal with that on top of everything else she had to contend with now.  Still, she glanced towards Lydia as she paused in front of the room she’d been given for the evening, and nodded her head, a silent good night passing between them before Siri disappeared, gently shutting the door behind her as she started to strip down to the bare essentials. Curling up on the single if heavily laden fur covered bed, Siri removed the simple leather strip she had taken to using to keep her mane of bright red hair contained, allowing the ponytail to become undone so her locks could fall more evenly across her back and shoulders.

_ Who am I?  Who am I really?  And….more importantly,  _ **_what_ ** _ am I? _  Slaying the dragon had left her with far more questions than answers because of what happened once it’d stopped moving, its steaming blood painting her face and chest in near scalding heat, but she’d not noticed it at the time as streams of spectral blue and orange lights swarmed out of the dissolving monster, and fused with the very core of her being.  She’d….taken something from the winged beast, something that had filled her with strength, with power, and with….something more, something that stirred at the passing thought that flicked through her tired mind.

Something that filled her ears with the sound of beating wings against the snowy gray skies, an immense heat that didn’t burn swelling in her chest before it exploded outward in a terrible stream of searing flames.  They had a name for people like her apparently, some Nord legend involving mortals with the immortal soul of a dragon. It was all very confusing to her, but one thing at least was clear. She needed to go up to High Hrothgar, to meet with the Greybeards, the only people that could supposedly make sense of this Dragonborn nonsense she’d gotten herself involved with.   _ You know it’s not nonsense. _  Her mind argued as she drifted off towards an uneasy sleep.   _ Just like you know why you’re not like  _ **_them_ ** _. _

\-------------

The boat trip to Skyrim’s shores had been largely uneventful, but she had half expected someone to decide she didn’t belong on the boat and report her to the Thalmor contingent she’d spotted below decks shortly after she’d boarded.  But no one had said a word, and the dark blue robed high elves that were as different from her as a Man was to an Orc, had taken one look at her and simply nodded in greeting. The advantage of being a high elf like them she supposed, since in her experience, most Thalmor didn’t think to look beyond the color of her skin, assuming she was just like them.  It was better that way, because if they’d known what she truly thought, there was no doubt that the Thalmor would’ve arrested her for her less than kind opinions about their racially motivated hatred against the rest of the world.

There had been questions of course, but Siri had told them the truth when asked why she was going to Skyrim.  “I’m looking for answers regarding my family, my past.” Whether it was because of something in her voice that had spoken to the lead Thalmor agent’s heart, or simply her blunt honesty, they’d let her go without much of a fuss, bidding her a safe journey and a warning to stay out of their business.  She was just glad they hadn’t been able to see how sweaty her palms had gotten underneath her leather, fur lined gloves, or the hard edge in her gold eyes as she glared daggers at their backs once they’d walked away to return to their private cabin below decks.

She’d remained on top, her gaze on the gray sky and the waves that slammed into the wooden hull of the three mast vessel.  She hardly noticed though, her gaze on the disappearing Isles, the only home she’d ever known until now, but with a growl she’d turned away and thrown a fireball into the water.  It didn’t help with the frustration and confusion, but it had made her feel better to vent some of it against the slaughterfish that had been following the ship since they’d set sail, their ugly, sharp little teeth filled mouths and long, scaly bodies turning into a fine red mist as the heat, flames, and sheer force behind her Destruction spell lived up to its name.  Despite a few curious looks from those that had been on deck with her at the time, Siri had silently stomped off, needing some privacy and time to gather her thoughts, to plan for what came next once she got to Skyrim’s shores.

She hadn’t figured it out when she’d eventually arrived though, and she certainly hadn’t had a viable plan outside of getting across the border as fast as possible.  Cyrodiil, Valenwood, Hammerfell, the further away she could get from the Summerset Isles, the better, that was all she’d been concerned about at that point in time. Except of course fate had decided to slow her down by having her be captured, dragged to Helgen, where an Imperial bitch of a captain had decided that simply because she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time, she too would be put down with the rest of Ulfric’s rebels.  And then the first living dragon anyone had ever seen for ages untold had dropped in, interrupting Siri’s execution in the process.

\--------------

_ Alduin. And the Scrolls have foretold, of black wings in the cold, that when brothers wage war come unfurled! Alduin, bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound, With a hunger to swallow the  _ **_world_ ** _! _  Stirring awake as the booming voice cut through her sleeping mind with a force to shatter her eardrums, Siri sat upright and put a hand to her throbbing temple, one eye pinched shut as the pain faded as quickly as it appeared.  Shaking her head, which had her unbound mane of red hair bouncing across her back, she swung her long, gold, lithe legs over the side of the bed and put her hands against both sides of her head. “It’s...just a dream. It was just... _ a dream _ .”  She knew it hadn’t been, deep in her soul she knew that voice hadn’t been a figment of her battered psyche, but that didn’t stop her from trying to convince herself otherwise.

Looking up, Siri gasped as a shadow with large, black wings filled the glass window, before instinct took over as she dove from the bed just in time for the strange creature to come crashing through.  “Oww….” Slowly looking up from her spot on the floor, Siri took in the long, lanky if sturdy looking individual that had fallen on her bed, face first, just as the man groaned and flipped himself over so that his butt wasn’t in the air.  Seeing he wasn’t alone, his mouth formed an ‘O’ before a little half smirk appeared on his face. “Well….this is awkward.” He mused.

**End Notes:** Well...that happened.  Before I get too far, I am looking for a beta/editor/whatever in an effort to make this the best it can be, but so far my efforts to find someone have been unsuccessful.  If anyone wishes to do so though, I’m more than happy to talk things over at our earliest convenience. For the time being though, I HOPE this was at least a good start for everyone, and that you’ve enjoyed this attempt to make a much more Team STRQ centric tale since everyone and their mother’s done RWBY related stuff.  There’s nothing wrong with that of course lol, but I’m hoping to stand out a bit is all. At any rate, see ya guys and gals and thanks for your interest if nothing else!


	2. A New Fairy Tale Beginning

**Opening Notes** :  As a quick side note, I’m planning to do World of Skyrim/Remnant little chapters, so if you get two updates in the same day, chances are it’s because of a humorous if poignant look at Skyrim and the Empire in general through the eyes of the Raven, Taiyang, and Qrow.  The first one will be a quick breakdown of the various races through Raven’s perspective, so get hyped for that, or don’t, your choice. :P And yes, she has nothing but good things to say about the Empire and her citizens. Joking aside, it’s been a blast, despite the difficulty of trying to do this the justice it deserves, so here’s hoping you folks continue to enjoy.  See ya!

P.S.  I’ll be including a few modded followers most likely, once I’ve done some research into their respective quest lines, personalities, etc, as well as a possible player created home, as long as they’re lore friendly anyway and they seem like they’d be a natural fit to things.  If anyone has suggestions, besides Inigo although he’s awesome in so many ways, I’m all ears. I already have ideas, but nothing’s currently set in stone just yet. Anyway, enjoy the chaos!

 

**Chapter 1**

**A New Fairy Tale Beginning**

 

**???**

Groaning as he slowly came to, Taiyang grimaced as pain radiated through his battered skull.  Sitting up gingerly, a hand went to the back of his blonde head of messily kempt blonde hair, only for him to grit his teeth when a keen bolt shot through his head, which made his eyes water as he jerked his hand away.  Seeing specks of blood on his fingertips, he sighed, brushed them on his shorts, and blinked his eyes in order to clear them. Once he was able to see past the pain and the blurriness of a possible head concussion, Taiyang frowned when he saw the dark stone walls of what he could only assume was a dungeon, with a single iron gate standing between him and the hallway just beyond.  The sound of guards patrolling was just audible to his ears, but they weren’t coming down the hall itself, which he found strange.

Shaking his head as a wave of dizziness hit when he tried to stand, Tai nearly fell to the ground, and he would’ve if not reaching a hand out to the wall of his cell.  It was then he felt something attached to his calf, and the sound of a chain clinking against the ground. Looking down, his frown turned to worry when he saw it was attached to a manacle, which was securely locked around his left foot, which was bare.  “Who took my shoes?” He asked, more to fill the silence than expecting an answer.

“It was merely a precaution.”  Spinning on his heel only to flail his arms around when the chain became tangled up between his feet, Taiyang regained his balance only to see a woman in a low blue hood had somehow gotten the drop on him.  The little amused smirk on her pale, angular, smooth skinned face was offset by the unnatural glow to her burning orangish yellow eyes, something that brought to mind a Faunus that was able to see in the dark.  “Many a thief have hidden lockpicks within their clothes, especially their shoes.”

“Who are you?”  Taiyang asked once he’d given her words a moment to sink in.  Stepping out of the tangled chain, he approached the door as far as the manacle allowed.  “Where am I?”

“You truly don’t know?”  Taiyang shook his head, which seemed to intrigue the woman as she pursed her lips in thought before she answered.  “You’re in an Imperial outpost within the city of Solitude, in the dungeons to be precise.”

“And you’ve been asked to figure out if I’m a threat.”  Understanding what was happening here even if he didn’t know where he was, Taiyang crossed his arms and offered her a friendly little smile.  “So, what do you want to know? And uh...what should I call you?”

The woman seemed taken aback by his easy and warm inquiry despite his situation, if only a little, as she blinked and cocked her head ever so slightly to the side before reaching up to pull her hood back.  Taiyang’s smile only widened as he got a good look at the woman’s smooth face, slightly pointy ears, and a head of burnished brown locks that swept straight down towards her left shoulder. “My name is Sybille Stentor, Court Wizard to Solitude and its court.  I serve Elisif the Fair, the current High Queen of Skyrim. Now, let’s be-”

“Wait, Skyrim?  High Queen? Court wizard?”  Stammered a very confused Tai as he struggled to get closer to the door in an effort to see out into the hall in the hope of figuring out where he was, but a flash of lightning had him reeling back, his body screaming from the unexpected, and powerful, assault.  Having not expected it, he’d not thought to activate his Aura, so he felt every bolt as they crashed through his now aching limbs.

“Do not approach the bars, prisoner!”  Sybille barked, her eyes flashing in irritation at him, not that Taiyang noticed as his gaze fell to her upraised hand once he’d recovered, where bolts of lightning crackled and danced between her outstretched fingertips.  What had his attention was a distinct lack of something he was quite familiar with.

“No Dust.”  He murmured, which earned a puzzled look from Sybille.  Shaking his head to clear the last of the pain, Taiyang’s grimaced as he stared into the woman’s face, his gaze unwavering as he scanned her face for some sign of recognition, a clue as to what he was dealing with here.  “You’re not using Dust, so how are you using magic? Are you a Maiden?” He asked, but when Sybille only stared, openly confused by his inquiry, Tai blew out a breath of frustration as he dared to get closer to the woman again, his hands up to show he wasn’t up to no good.  “One of four young women, able to use magic without Dust. Most people only know them as a fairytale, but I’ve….met one.” He’d done a lot more than met one, but he wasn’t about to tell Sybille that. Besides, Raven would likely kill him for talking about their long dead relationship so freely.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.  I’ve never heard of this  _ Dust  _ before, nor these Maidens.”  Taiyang blinked this time, but his gaze remained squarely on Sybille’s stony visage even as she began to relax, a thought having occurred to her from what he was able to tell.  “Maybe….but that shouldn’t be possible.” She muttered softly, so softly Tai wasn’t at first sure he’d heard her right.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but if it helps, the last thing I remember was speaking to a friend, and suddenly everything turning crimson.”  It was the closest he’d get to talking about Raven’s Semblance, especially with a complete stranger with powers he’d only seen a Maiden ever utilize without having to use Dust at the same time.

His words must have solidified whatever Sybille had started to suspect, because her already paled face turned a shade paler, if that were possible, and her pointed ears twitched at the same time her glowing eyes brightened.  “The kind of magic that brought you here hasn’t been seen since the Oblivion Crisis over two hundred years ago, and you don’t strike me as a practitioner of the clever craft. Not only that, but when I examined you, I felt an unusual power coming from your very soul.  Something I’ve never encountered before.”

“You can detect Aura?”  While he probably should’ve been worried about being looked over by a strange woman, he was more much intrigued by what she’d said as he relaxed, if only a little, when it didn’t look like she was about to zap him again.

“If that’s what you call your strange magic, then yes.”  Seeing her mull over something as she pursed her lips, Taiyang only raised an eyebrow when she produced a key from within her robes.  “Before I open this door, I want you to answer a question. Do you know what I am?”

The first answer that came to his mind he just as quickly dismissed as he looked her over.  She looked to be somewhere between a Faunus and a human from the snow covered wastes of Atlas, but neither description fit what his eyes told him.  There was no visible animal traits, beyond her ears, and even then Faunus with such traits often had two sets rather than one, with the extra being much more animalistic.  “Sorry to say, but no, I don’t.” He admitted after an uneasy silence had fallen between them, her eyes just as deeply probing him while he’d been trying to puzzle out just where she’d come from, let alone her race.

“I see.  You’ll...want to follow me.”  She hedged as she opened the door, bidding him to follow.  Before he could say a word about the manacle on his ankle, Taiyang looked down just as Sybille flicked her wrist, and blinked when the clamp unlocked itself before noisily falling to the stone.  Seeing no other choice in the matter, unless he wanted to try and fight his way to freedom against an unknown number of opponents, one of which had already proven beyond his normal experience, Taiyang did his best to keep up.  Passing by a guard station with a number of strangely dressed men, with red flags bearing a winged beast, its wings folded in the shape of a diamond, adorning the cold stone walls, Sybille pointed to a chest tucked away in a corner of the room.  “Your belongings are yours, but don’t get any ideas.”

“I won’t.”  He assured her, before opening the chest to find his missing boots, and the armored shoulder guard he typically wore on his right arm, as well as the red bandana he normally kept tied to his bicep.  The leather armguard and fingerless glove he kept on his left was also there. Feeling better once he had put it all back on his person, Taiyang crossed his arms and nodded towards the woman, his ears perking up when he heard one of the guards mutter about him falling from into the Blue Palace.  “Did my...arrival...interrupt something Sybille?”

“You could say that.  You gave us all quite the fright when you suddenly fell in the center of Elisif’s court yesterday evening.”  She replied, just as they stepped outside into a far colder night than he was prepared for. Blinking away the slowly rising sun’s light as it climbed ever higher, Taiyang didn’t at first see what Sybille was looking at as she pulled her hood low over her head.  When he did once his eyes had adjusted, he at first couldn’t make sense of it. Sensing her probing gaze on him, more prevalent than ever, Taiyang only distantly heard what she said. “I thought as much. You’re not from this world, are you?”

“Two moons?  Since when are there two moon?!”  Was all Taiyang could ask as he scrubbed his palms over his eyes before blinking rapidly.  But when the two huge, heavenly bodies refused to disappear, or return to a shattered, single pale orb that he was familiar with, Taiyang groaned as he leaned forward, the world suddenly feeling like it was spinning around him, with him serving as its axis.  “I think I’m gonna be sick.” He muttered, before jerking up when he felt a very cold hand touch the small of his back. It brought him back to his senses though as he met Sybille’s sympathetic gaze, finding a slight measure of comfort there now that she wasn’t ready to fry him where he stood.

“Come.  There are those that need to hear this.  What comes next depends on what you choose to do from here.”  With no other option before him, Taiyang followed, his gaze flicking towards the twin moons as they began to slowly disappear beyond the horizon.

There was one thing he wanted to know though as they made their way through a stony fortress city of sorts, that, despite its name, felt much more lively as a number of people, some familiar in general form, many as strange if not stranger than Sybille in appearance, left their homes to tend to their daily tasks.  There was a warmth in the air that lifted Taiyang’s spirit despite his shock at realizing he wasn’t on Remnant anymore. Giving it thought, giving it form, he paused and chuckled humorlessly, drawing a curious and slightly worried glance from his guide. “S-sorry, I was just thinking I’m glad I didn’t leave the stove on back home.  Brothers but this is...a little beyond even my experience.”

“An understandable reaction.” She allowed with a light nod, ignoring his attempt of a joke completely in the process. “Travelling between worlds is not a completely foreign concept here though it’s still considered…unusual, to say the least.”

“So you mentioned earlier.”  He mused, the slight tremor to his hands evening out now that he had something else to think about.  “Something about a Crisis?” He asked as they approached what he could only assume was the Blue Palace she’d mentioned earlier.

“It’s a long tale, but yes.  I was...much younger in those days, it’s why I got into the arcane in the first place.”  Despite his racing thoughts, Taiyang looked towards the woman just as a shadow of something passed over her pale face.  Something that spoke of a past she didn’t like to think about, but just as quickly it was gone before he could comment on it.  “The Crisis took many things from a great many people, but with the Dragon Barrier strengthened as it was, teleportation and the gates between places, between worlds, haven’t worked since Martin Septim’s selfless sacrifice, no matter what the Thalmor would have the masses believe otherwise.”

“And now I have to ask-”

Sybille stopped at the top of the stairs, turned, and smiled knowingly, the warmest expression he’d seen on her face yet.  “As I said, it’s a long tale, stranger. I’ll answer what I can once your meeting with Elisif is concluded, but I do have other duties I must attend to  My time is precious and not something I waste lightly.” Despite the somewhat hard tone to her voice, Taiyang couldn’t help but get the impression she was finding it very hard not to start interrogating him on the subject of his being there.  Instead, she pushed her way through the double doors, and led the way to a grand, if somewhat small, entrance hall, with a high backed stone throne nestled against the far back wall. Before they reached said throne however, Sybille paused, and turned to face him anew.  “In all the excitement, I never asked for your name.”

“Taiyang Xiao Long.  I’m from a little island called Patch, on...I guess a world called Remnant.”  He flinched, uncomfortable with the fact that, somehow, Raven had dragged him and likely herself to an entirely new world.  “That’s...gonna take some getting used to.” He smiled shakily when her hand returned to squeeze his unarmored shoulder, before nodding her head towards the throne, bidding him to walk ahead of her.  Knowing that to argue was to likely invoke her wrath again, Taiyang did as he was told, too caught up in the moment to question in any event.

\------------

???

Raven had expected a lot of things when her Semblance had suddenly gone berserk, swallowing not only herself, but Tai and Zwei as well, but waking up in an unfamiliar stone chamber with no door, tucked in a single, comfortably warm bed, hadn’t been one of them.  Blinking red eyes in confusion as she sat up, her hand immediately going to the sword that was on her belt, she froze when she didn’t feel its comforting weight against her right hip. She only relaxed when she saw her katana resting against the stone wall, by the head of the bed.  Whoever had brought her here didn’t think her a threat, or they believed they could handle her if she was. Both scenarios she could work with, but the latter possibility was what concerned her as she moved to the door, only to have someone stop just in front of her.

“I see you’ve awakened.”  If the robed man’s dark gray, almost black skin wasn’t odd enough, Raven could only blink at the strange, deep red, glowing orbs that peered at her from beneath the hood of a dark blue robe, which slightly bulged out due to what she could only assume were pointed, elongated ears on either side of his head.  He was handsome, in an almost alien way, but even at this distance, she could sense he was much stronger than his admittedly frail appearance let on.

Crossing her arms over her armored chest, Raven let her eyes rove over the man before her.  “Who and  _ what  _ are you?”  She eventually asked, as blunt as she’d ever been, but if he seemed offended by the question, he didn’t show it.  If anything, the little smile that pulled at his dark hued lips was slightly disarming to her.

“My name is Savos Aren, I’m the archmage to the College of Winterhold.”  Savos replied, and didn’t seem surprised or offended when she didn’t offer her name as he folded his hands behind his back.  “As for  _ what  _ I am, that you have to ask simply confirms what we’ve come to suspect given the nature of your unexpected arrival in the middle of the Hall of the Elements.  I have to ask how you managed to teleport, from what I presume was another world altogether given your attire, and your weapon.” She tensed, her hand flying to the sword’s hilt, but she froze when Savos merely held up a hand, where an orb of crackling flames appeared.  “Peace, my lady, no one here means you any harm, but it wouldn’t be the wisest thing to attack the people that chose to aid you instead of leaving you for dead.”

Forcing herself to relax, Raven’s hand fell from her katana’s hilt, but her hard gaze didn’t ease up.  Seeing his little fireball disappear helped, but she was still cautious. “The last man I’ve seen able to use magic without Dust turned out to be an immortally cursed being, so how are you able to do it?”

“I believe I already said, I’m a fully trained mage and professor here at the College of Winterhold.”  Savos reiterated, only for Raven’s frown to deepen. He nodded, before better explaining himself, much to her silent relief.  “I also believe I understand your confusion. Tell me then, so I have a better understanding, how prevalent is magic in your world?”

“....Only five,  _ maybe  _ six people can control it without the use of a naturally occuring aid we call Dust.”  Raven eventually stated, her frown softening as the gravity of her situation began to fully sink in.  Raising her own right hand, she closed her fist only to open her fingers as her eyes flared, the red flame like projection a soft burn rather than an inferno as a swirling ball of ice appeared just above her palm.  “And I’m one of them.”

“Fascinating, astonishing even.”  Savos stated, visibly excited as Raven let go of the power she’d called to her hand, the blaze around her eyes disappearing in the same moment.  “And how long did it take you to master your gifts?”

“It’s...not something I was born with.”  Merely remembering how she’d become the Spring Maiden was not something she wanted to think about, but he had raised an interesting point even if it hadn’t been his intent.  Raven was not like the bandits of the previous tribe, her and her people were far more….honor bound wasn’t quite the right phrase, but it was close enough to what she felt since he and his allies had kept her safe until she’d recovered.

So while she wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable questions that were all but visible on Savos’s face, she didn’t protest against them either.  “Oh? Then how did you come to possess it?”

“I inherited it….from the previous wielder.” She replied curtly, trying to ignore the flashes of memory that played out behind her eyes.  Qrow’s reaction to what she’d done, to what she had had to do, had left a very bad taste in her mouth since it’d tasted dangerously similar to guilt and shame on her part.  Two emotions she knew all too well, although she went out of her way to try and not give them the time of day most of the time. “It’s brought me a measure of discomfort, because there are those that have tried to take what’s become mine.”

“Because of its scarcity?”  Raven only nodded, not about to get into the fact there was much more at stake than her power simply being exceedingly rare.  It was enough for Savos at least as he ran a dark skinned hand through his long, if knotted gray beard. “Truly fascinating, but your secret shall be safe with me, I assure you.  That, and magic is quite common on our world of Nirn, so I doubt you’ll have anything to worry about in that regard.”

“We’ll see.” She replied coolly, not about to let her guard down.  People in her experience typically always wanted something, even the altruistic ones had desires and dreams.  She didn't begrudge them those, but one always had to take them into consideration. “So what do I owe you for watching over me?”

“Owe me?”  Raven only raised an eyebrow at Savos’s surprised tone.  “You assume I would ask for a debt simply for protecting another who couldn’t protect themselves at the time?”

“No one in my experience does anything for free, and those few that do are either fools or working towards some kind of long term goal.”  Raven countered, her arms crossed over her chest once more as she glared down at the man. She was a hair taller than he was, so she literally had to look down her nose at him.

Yet if he seemed intimidated by this fact, he didn’t show it as he sadly shook his head at her blunt response.  “You’ll find that not everyone in Nirn works on such a principle, but your reaction is rather telling of the kind of life you’ve had to endure up until now.”  Before she could say a word, Savos’s hand snapped up, silencing her on the spot. “But if what I suspect about you is true, then I shouldn’t be surprised you’d be suspicious of my intentions.  I will admit, I would immensely enjoy a chance to learn more about you, and the world you came from, but you don’t strike me as the type to linger in one spot for too long. I can however offer you assistance, knowledge specifically, about the world you find yourself a part of now, but you’d have to become a student to the College.”

For the longest time, Raven’s face didn’t so much as twitch as she considered the offer for what it was.  When she did speak though, she let her stony visage soften the most it’d done yet, unable to keep the small tremor from her voice if she’d tried as sorrow and bitterness laced every word.  "There are few whose lead I’d follow, and there was ever only one who could order me, and she’s...no longer among the living." Yet another meaningless sacrifice in Ozpin’s endless crusade against Salem.  How many more would have to die before people like Qrow and her daughter would see how futile it all was? She’d lost too many friends, had seen to many vain deaths, to believe in such a fairy tate any longer.

At least Savos was wise enough not to ask about Summer’s demise, who she’d been to her, as she felt his eyes take in the old hurts that danced behind her own.  “Are we in accord then?” He asked instead, and was visibly, if slightly, taken aback when Raven slowly extended her right hand towards. Smiling openly now, Savos grasped the offered limb with a firm nod of his head.  “Then welcome to the College. It would make this a little easier if you gave me a name to call you by.”

“....Raven.  Raven Branwen.”  She said as their hands parted before returning her hand to the hilt of her blade.  It merely rested there now however, instead of appearing poised to draw it free of its Dust infusing sheath in the flash.

“Well, it’s an honor to meet you.  I think you’ll find your time here to be most beneficial.”  Savos stated as he began to walk down the hallway, muttering something about having her fitted for a robe in the near future.

“We’ll see.”  Still, despite the doubts written across her face, Raven couldn’t help but feel maybe, just maybe, she might’ve lucked out.  If this place was half as knowledgeable about magical forces as he’d led her to believe, then chances were good they might just be able to get her back home.  That was assuming her Semblance didn’t allow her to simply leave anytime she wished, but she’d never tried to jump between worlds before. She hadn’t even considered the possibility there  _ were  _ other worlds, so she doubted that her Semblance would allow her to go back to Remnant, that...and with how it’d gone out of her control once already, she was hesitant to try it in any event.  No...she’d wait and see, and if she got even a hint of Savos and his staff playing her for a fool, she’d leave.

But not before making them pay for trying to deceive her…

\-------------

**Ivarstead**

**Vilemyr Inn**

Qrow had expected a lot of things after Raven’s portal had somehow grabbed him from that hallway, but seeing two moons in the sky even as they began to disappear beyond the horizon, hadn’t been one of them.  As he stared at the impossible sight beside a now fully armored and clothed Sirille, who was in turned flanked by a no nonsense woman by the name of Lydia, his hands on his hips and his mouth slack jawed for the first time in years, Qrow eventually groaned and slapped a hand over his forehead.  “Great. If I ever find my twin, I’m gonna kill her.”

“Should you talk like that about your sibling?” Lydia asked with a disapproving frown on her face.

“She tried to kill me first.” He defended himself with a shrug. “She always was a troublemaker, but throwing me into another world is a new one, even for her.”  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Qrow had to wonder if this had been her doing at all. True, the crimson energy he’d been surrounded by was definitely her Semblance, but her portals had never been able to move from the spot they were formed, on either side.  This one though had done a lot more than that. Still, they had a lot to work through after the fiasco at Haven, and he certainly wasn’t willing to just forget what had happened. That was for later though as he turned to face the front patio of the relatively simple wooden two floor building they’d come out of, his arms crossed over his chest as he took in the two women he’d somehow gotten tangled up with.  “So what’s the deal with you two? You a couple of traveling soldiers or something, and what in the Brothers’ name  _ are  _ you?”  The last he directed towards the redhead, who suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

Before she could speak, the pale skinned, dark haired woman at her side put a hand to the long steel blade on her hip, her eyes narrowed to slits.  “You’ll be respectful to my Thane when you speak to her.”

“Lydia, it’s fine.”  Siri was quick to intervene.  Smart move on her part, since Qrow didn’t think her little bodyguard could hold up to a half assed strike when he was falling down drunk.  At the moment, he was regrettably sober, but given his situation, he was in no hurry to get plastered. Not until he had a better idea of what he was in for at least.

“Listen to your boss, Lyd, you don’t want to push your luck.  Not around me.” Qrow told her with a bored gaze, not even bothering to prepare himself in case of an impending attack. The woman reminded him far too much of Winter, and with that similarity came the desire to drive her crazy.  He smirked when he swore he could already hear Lydia’s teeth grinding between pursed lips. “At least I get the dynamic between you two. So you’re the one in charge then.”

“I...it’s a recent development, yes.”  Siri replied as she cast her golden eyes on her friend, who immediately relaxed although her own gaze never wavered from Qrow.  He merely let his hands fall to his sides, utterly at ease as the redhead beckoned them back inside. “And forgive her, but you did fall into my room when I was down to my small clothes.  Nords are...finicky about honor in all things, battle especially.”

“Good to know, so what does that make you?”  Qrow asked as they returned to the warmth of the inn, the blaze of a nearby fire in a stone hearth quite the welcome sight after the rather cold air outside.

“Altmer….high elf if you want the common parlance.”  Siri replied simply as she led the way to an empty table in a shadowy corner of the inn before waving down the innkeeper.  Qrow sat across from her and Lydia, who seemed insistent to keep him between her and her charge as she sat next to the redhead, her sword resting against the table itself.

“Huh, alright.  Not even gonna question that, certainly not the weirdest thing to happen to me.” Qrow muttered with a shrug. “Or hell, even if it is, I’m used to weird by now.  Couldn’t help but notice you looked like you swallowed bad scotch when I asked what you were outside.”

“You’re observant.”  Siri grimaced, her eyes flicking away from Qrow’s suddenly keen glance in her direction.

“He’s also rude and indelicate, my Thane.”  Lydia rumbled disapprovingly, while Qrow crossed his arms over his chest and slouched in the bench seat he’d taken.

“And you’re basically one of Jimmy's tin soldiers, but with even more of a stick up your ass.” He countered as he yawned and stretched his arms over his head, all while glancing at her slyly. “I gotta say, for someone who says I’m rude, you aren’t exactly an epitome of politeness either.”

“You-”

“Shh, the grown ups are talking.” He told her with a smirk that he knew had driven people like Winter or even Glynda up the wall.  So when he could almost spot steam shooting out of Lydia’s ears, he knew that he’d succeeded. “But if you’re a good girl, I might get you a tasty children’s portion from the waitress.”

A hand on Lydia’s shoulder was all it took, but it was enough for Qrow to see just how far Siri’s authority extended when the woman started to stand before she just as quickly sat down.  While the deep frown that had settled itself on Lydia’s face didn’t soften, even when the innkeeper asked for their orders, Qrow was silently impressed, especially if Siri had told the truth about the time they’d known each other being rather short thus far.  A Thane must be quite the respected figure indeed for someone like Lydia to obey without a word as she had. He knew he’d likely overstepped though as her eyes fell on him next, disapproval written on her golden face that was rather pleasing to his eyes. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t antagonize my Housecarl further, Qrow.”

“I make no promises, but since  _ you  _ asked nicely, I’ll try to play ball.”  Qrow nodded his thanks when a tray of drinks were put between them, with a promise of food to come before the woman walked away.  Sighing once he’d taken a sip from the mug he’d picked up for himself, he raised an eyebrow in approval at the taste before letting a heavy sigh escape him.  “Seriously ladies, this whole thing’s a lot to take in. If it wasn’t obvious, my usual go to is to rub everyone the wrong way.”

“I couldn’t tell.”  Lydia muttered dryly into her mug, her gaze never leaving his face.

Siri at least seemed to have relaxed a little once she’d gotten a drink in her.  That didn’t seem to help the flicker of shame he saw in her eyes though. “That you have to ask says a lot, about where you came from since it’s obviously not Skyrim, Tamriel, perhaps even Nirn itself.”

“The two moons are kinda dead giveaways on that one, red.”  Qrow retorted before he took another, heavier draw from his mug.  “Ah...where I come from there’s only one, and it was shattered who knows when.”

“Shattered?”  Asked a frowning Lydia while Siri simply looked astonished by what he’d said.

“Yeah, it’s just a _ remnan _ t of a moon.”  He chuckled as if enjoying a joke only he understood. “Huh… great, I’ve spent too much time around Yang if I started doing that. What’s next? Eating every cookie I can find?”  Shaking his head before his train of thought could be further derailed, and so he didn’t have to think about Ruby and Yang and the chances of seeing them again anytime soon, Qrow leaned forward, straightening his posture so he was no longer slouching.  “So, story time, what’s the deal, red?”

“Before I answer your no doubt endless questions about me, about this world, might I ask the same of yourself?”

“Well, I never tire of talking about myself.”  Qrow grinned, but Siri at least didn’t seem to be buying his act as her renewed gaze didn’t waver in the slightest.  She was probing him, reading him, or attempting to at least, while Lydia simply glared at him. “Tough crowd, but it seems like a reasonable exchange to me kid.”

“I’m fifty-eight years old.”  She droned, unamused by the label he’d attached to her.

That got Qrow’s attention as he gaped, genuinely surprised by just how flatly that had come out of her mouth.  “Really? Huh, I’d have put you around eighteen, easy.”

“A common mistake of man.” Siri replied with a shrug. “Though now that you’re aware that I’m anything but a ki-”

“Whatever, you’re still a kid to me.” Qrow decided with a careless shrug. “Sorry to say kid, but you’d have to be a lot older for me to even consider you a teenager.” He told her and thought back to Ozpin, because as much as he respected the man, he wasn’t above needling him either, especially now that he was in his new body.  “Age doesn’t equate to maturity anyway, and while I don’t doubt you’re capable in a fight, you don’t have the weight of experience heavy on your shoulders. Trust me, I’ve seen my share of warriors, Huntsmen, soldiers, and officers, so I know what to look for.”

It was the first time he’d seen a look of genuine surprise flash over both of their faces at the same time, before Siri nodded her head in reluctant agreement before she reached up to pull her long ponytail behind her back just as their food arrived.  “I’ve...not been on the road long, a few weeks at most, but I’m no stranger to hardship.”

“I don’t doubt it.”  Qrow all but whispered as that flicker of guilt and shame flashed in her eyes again, but this time she didn’t look away at least.  “As for me, I’ve seen a lot of fights, come out of most of them in one piece, but no matter how good you are, that kind of thing piles up after a while, ‘specially if you fail to save everyone that gets caught in the crossfire.”  It was his turn to look uncomfortable as memories of his own past failures and near death experiences, both brought on by his Semblance, and simply due to genuine misfortune on his part, flickered through his mind as he looked down at the wooden table between them.  Feeling a familiar itch, he ignored it and the flask in his vest pocket, and instead drained half of what was left in his mug before slamming it down on the table’s surface.

When he looked up, he was slightly relieved to see Lydia’s scowl had softened, while Siri simply looked on, curiosity the most obvious emotion on her face as she mulled over what he’d said.  “Listen kid, I don’t know anything about you or whatever a Brothers damned Thane is, but if you need a bodyguard running around with you and are only half as important as she makes you out to be, then listen.  Victory costs, and if you don’t feel like you lost anything, you’ve lost a lot more than you can ever get back. You fight someone and someone has to pay the price for that decision, them, us, everyone pays in the end.  You get what I’m saying?”

“Not at all, no.  Your words may sound wise, but the way you present them is…”  She trailed off, uncertain how to say what she wanted without sounding rude at the same time.

“Unusual? Yeah, I’ve heard that before, and that’s why you’re not an adult.”  Still, he could tell something was bothering her, something that went beyond her obvious inexperience.  Whatever it was, he was willing to bet it was why she was out here in the first place. Since he had no better options at the moment though, he decided to lay his cards out on the table.  “Ya know, since you two are the only people I know that’d probably give me the time of day, I could come with ya, keep an eye out for trouble. Just uh...keep your distance if the chips fall hard and we end up having to fight.”

“Why?”  Lydia asked, equal parts intrigued and cautious, although whether it was for her sake or Siri’s he couldn’t say.

“Let’s just say I work better alone.”  Was all Qrow was willing to say on the matter.  At least they were smart enough to let it go. He nearly growled to himself when his own response triggered a flashback of a heartbroken Ruby looking at him and asking him why he didn’t tell her a long time ago after the fight with that scorpion Faunus sent by Salem.  He suppressed a sigh since his nieces sure knew how to get to him, both in their very own unique way.

“I won’t refuse an extra blade between us and what’s out there now.”  Siri stated, drawing him out of his momentary lapse in thought, her choice of words rather than their meaning catching his attention.  Seeing the curiosity on his face, she continued. “Between the civil war being fought between the Imperials and the Stormcloaks, there are groups of bandits out there, monsters, and now, to make a bad situation worse, dragons have returned to Skyrim, after having been gone for centuries.”

“ _ Really _ ?  No wonder you’re so eager to have me around.”  He chuckled grimly at the thought of having to face such a beast.  Ruby had all but killed the last dragon he’d seen, leaving it frozen to the side of Beacon Tower, but as good as he was, he doubted he’d have been able to do much than piss it off.  Who knew what the dragons of this place were capable of, but pushing that aside for the time being, he nodded and said, “Well, if that’s the case, maybe traveling with you will be more exciting than I thought it’d be.  So where we headin’ first kid?”

“High Hrothgar, as for why….I’d rather not talk about it here.”  The look was quick, but Qrow saw how she glanced at the other patrons as if she expected one of them to rush her and ask for her autograph, or to pull a knife in an effort to see what her insides looked like.

She didn’t seem afraid, simply tired, so he was willing to bet on the former.  “Fair enough…though could someone clue me in as to what High Hrothgar even is?”  Qrow asked as he began to dig into the food that had been left in front of him.

“It’s a monastery on top of the highest mountain in Skyrim.” Lydia explained curtly as she took a sip of her own drink.  That she didn’t simply suck it down like he’d been said she preferred her senses clear, yet another strike against her in Qrow’s mind even as he respected her choice at the same time.  “It’s there that a group of monks are known to make their home.”

“So you’re what, looking for answers to this dragon problem you mentioned?”

“Something like that.”  Understanding this was a part of the  **_thing_ ** she didn’t want to talk about, Qrow only nodded and left it at that.

“Makes sense, but just to make sure, do I have to worry about some… let’s say agents or anything like that trying to kill us on our way there?  Anyone influential you pissed off?” Judging by the uncomfortable grimace that passed over Siri’s face, Qrow would’ve said that was a big fat  **_YES_ ** .  “So, how many people are wanting your head on a platter?”

“....A fair amount.”  No sooner had the words left her mouth did the door suddenly burst open, with Siri jumping to her feet as she raised her right hand, a shimmering shield of energy appearing just as a flash of lightning raced towards her.  She grunted with effort, and she was driven back a step as the bolt crashed against her shield, but otherwise she seemed unharmed.

Spinning to face this threat, Qrow saw a man pulling a glimmering, intricate dagger from a sheath attached to his leather belt, adorned in long flowing dark tattered robes, a steel suit of armor just visible beneath, and a strange, bony mask covering most of his dark skinned face.  Qrow’s presence or Lydia preparing herself for a fight didn’t stop him from screaming out, “Death to the False Dragonborn!” as he and several others charged their table while the rest of the inn’s occupants ducked for cover or ran out the back.

“I didn't even get to eat my steak!” Qrow pouted as he leaned back in his seat to dodge a hastily thrown dagger that he lazily plucked from the air as it sailed past him, and threw it right back at his would be assassin, nailing him right between the eyes.  He didn't like killing humans, or sapients in this case as opposed to the soulless Grimm, but he had done so before. Bandits, Salem’s agents, whatever had been necessary to keep the world safe. And it looked like this would be no different as Lydia pulled her sword, a shield strapped to her arm batting aside a second man’s sword mid swing with such force that he lost his grip on the weapon.  In the same breath, he lost his head as she spun, sword leading in an elegant swing that ended with her parrying a third man’s axe aside.

Qrow had to admire her efficient skill even as he jumped back and looked down at a woman who’d buried a hatchet into the seat he had been occupying only moments ago.  Snapping his leg up, he grimaced when the sound of bones breaking was followed by her falling back, limp like a puppet with its strings cut. He dimly noted how easily she’d been defeated as he pushed off the edge of the table right before another bolt of lightning shot towards him from the doorway.  Passing over it, he landed just in front of the offending man, and punched out, hard, shattering the bony mask, and the face underneath as blood and bits of bone splashed out from where his nose had once resided. He too fell limp, dead long before he hit the ground. Brushing his bloodied hand on his pants, Qrow noted, “No Aura.  That’s new.”

“Die!” One of the last remaining cultists screamed at the top of his lungs as he rushed him.  Qrow merely stepped to the side and was about to take hold of the man before asking him a few pointed questions as to why they felt the need to murder them, when the man suddenly stumbled and fell forward, having slipped on a puddle of blood that just happened to be in his way.  With a surprised yelp, he crashed into the ground, right where a discarded fork buried itself through his right eye, right into his brain.

“Ugh, how unfortunate.”  Siri grimaced as she approached, a spectral blade in her offhand that disappeared in the next moment, much to Qrow’s silent awe.

“I tried to warn you kid, being around me is a bad idea.”  He nodded towards the dead man at their feet before he realized something that had him grimacing in annoyance.  “…And I’m gonna need a new fork, not gonna eat with that one anymore, that’s for sure.”

“These men just tried to kill us… and you’re concerned about your meal?”  Siri asked, openly astonished with how easily he’d accepted nearly getting butchered.

“Happens to me all the time.” He replied with a confused frown. “I’d starve if I worried about stuff like this all the time.”  Lydia at least got his reasoning as she reluctantly nodded in agreement. “Figured you’d be used to it as well with how many people want to see you dead.”

“Apparently I’m still nowhere near the number of people that wish for your demise.” Siri noted dryly, and exhaled heavily, mumbling. “Although I get where they’re coming from.”

“‘Scuse me?”

“Nothing.”  Qrow frowned but let it go as Siri began rifling through the dead men’s possessions.  Following her cue, hoping to find something to give them an idea of why, he did raise an eyebrow when she pocketed their coinpurses as well as a number of strange looking vials and tinctures.  “Every little bit helps.”

“At least you’re not squeamish about looting the dead, kid.”  Qrow mused, approval easy to hear in his voice, only to frown when he pulled out a piece of paper, written in a neat if uneven scrawl.  “Board the vessel Northern Maiden docked at Raven Rock. Take it to Windhelm, then begin your search. Kill the False Dragonborn known as Sirille Thramihle before she reaches Solstheim.  Wow, short, sweet, right to the point, they even have a detailed description of you, kid.” He said as he handed over the note for her perusal.

“How?!  I only found out about a week ago!”  She stammered, her golden skin turning noticeably darker with anger, but it was the fear in her eyes that got his attention.  “They must have access to powerful scrying magic to have found me so quickly.”

“If scrying’s what it sounds like, then chances are you won’t be able to hide in any one place for long.”  Qrow said as he examined the rest of the fresh corpses just as the door opened again, a number of local guards rushing into the inn.  Ignoring them as he pulled out a leather, purple colored tome with a pair of arches encompassing a circle emblazoned on the front, from the man that’d been slinging lightning around, he tucked it away in his vest while Siri explained what had happened to the men and at least two muscle bound women, all of them seemingly from the same race of people if the pale skin and fair hair was anything to go by.  Again, he heard the title ‘Dragonborn’ thrown around, which told him her fame had likely already spread far and wide, but it was the sheer respect in the guards’ voices that caught his attention. It certainly explained why the guards immediately relaxed and soon enough, dragged the bodies away once they’d been stripped of anything of value by either himself, Lydia, and Siri, just as the inn’s earlier occupants began to nervously file back in once the all clear had been given.

Dusting himself off as he stood, Qrow gave the pair a half smirk as he sat down at the table again before peeling off a chunk of the steak that yet remained on his plate.  Popping it into his mouth, he ignored Siri’s bemused glance his way as he crossed one leg over his other knee. “You gonna eat or stare at me, kid? You want to get outta here before our new friends return, you might as well relax while ya can now.  Besides, this is good eating.”

Even as she sat down again, Qrow could only smirk as Siri did her best to stare at anything not covered in fresh blood behind him.  “You’re entirely too used to this kind of life, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”  Qrow agreed, suddenly feeling very old as he finished off his mug’s contents in one shot, “yeah I am.”

\-----------------

**End Notes** :  Before anyone says anything about Raven, I went back and forth regarding her telling Savos about her Maiden abilities for a while, and eventually settled with her revealing she WAS unique, but only so that she could get a better idea of what she was dealing with by gauging Savos’s reaction.  When he seemed merely curious and wasn’t at all surprised by the reveal, she judged accordingly and went from there. You sometimes have to give a little to get a lot back, that and considering the events of the past few days, and the mess she’s in now, she’s so far off her game that she’s not even in the same orbit any longer.  She’ll get back to growling at everyone soon, promise, but she knows she’s out of her depth and she’s not stupid. She’ll use Savos for all he’s worth before taking off, at least that’s what she’s planning. Still, it took me some time to figure out how best to get that scene to flow together, and that’s the one I settled with. That aside, I am definitely looking forward to her staring at the other students and making them very uncomfortable lol.  At any rate, hope you guys don’t hate me too much. Adios for now!


	3. Tales, Stories, and History Lessons

**Chapter 2**

**Tales, Stories, and History Lessons**

\----------------

**Solitude**

**The Blue Palace**

It was only after Taiyang was allowed to leave the, at least as far as her husband’s death mattered, ‘High Queen’s’ court, with Elisif herself seeming meek and afraid of the power she had suddenly received only a few short months ago, that he allowed a heavy sigh of relief to escape him.  “Yeesh...and I thought Glynda could be intimidating.” He muttered to himself, only to remember Sybille was standing just behind and to his left. The soft chuckle she let out made it clear she didn’t mind his audible relief though. With the crowd that had been there to hear why he’d dropped in the middle of the throne room though, it was little surprise to anyone why he thought them intimidating as a whole.

A shrewd faced steward by the name of Falk Firebeard, a large man by the name of Bolgeir Bearclaw, and a number of guards had been gathered about Elisif’s throne, and had overall at first thought him insane with his tale of being from another world, but they had at least listened to him profess his innocence as well as his apology for dropping in as he had.  They’d believed him after he’d shown off his Aura in a flash of golden light that had wrapped around his body just long enough to prove the truth of his tale. The only naysayer that was left was a man by the name of General Tullius, an Imperial from what he’d proudly said. And with the glare he could feel on his back as he ran his leather gloved arm across his forehead, Taiyang doubted the hard headed soldier was about to change his mind anytime soon.

At least Sybille was smiling, if thinly, at him as she started towards a hallway on the left of the entrance hall, bidding him to follow with a simple wave of her hand.  Seeing as how he’d somehow gotten himself tangled up with the self proclaimed wizard, he didn’t think much about following her for the time being until another option presented itself.  Still, he had questions, oh did he have questions, but Sybille, no doubt sensing the impending deluge, turned her head, her hood pulled low once more, and said, “You  _ can  _ speak Taiyang.  I won’t bite.”

Something about that sentence didn’t sit well with him at all, although he couldn’t have said why that was.  “Sorry, I just have a ton of stuff going through my head right now. Gotta say, Elisif at least seems….nice.”  He hedged, and was more than a little surprised when Sybille rolled her eyes about the same time a derisive snort escaped her.  “And I’m gonna say you aren’t a fan.” He added, his arms crossed over his chest once more as they made their way through slightly cramped, stone hallways, passing a number of doors and guards on either side.

“She’s only the Jarl, technically High Queen, because High King Torygg was murdered.”  She all but spat out.

“ _ Murdered _ ?” Tai asked with a frown. “By who? I can’t imagine it's easy to assassinate a sovereign.”

“It’s...not, but Nordic nobility have ancient customs for such things.”  Sybille sighed, displaying the first true sign of weariness and something else as she paused in front of a door that looked just like the rest, but a quick pass of her hand revealed some kind of strange energy field holding it in place.  “I was there when it happened, unaware that Ulfric Stormcloak, the rebel leader that has plunged Skyrim into bloody civil war, was there to usurp Torygg’s throne in ritual combat. By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late to stop it without violating those same customs.”

“Sorry to hear Sybille.”  Tai started to reach out to put a hand on her shoulder, but a quick glare at him stopped him cold.  Just as quickly though her glowing orange eyes dimmed, her angry scowl softening, and she opened the door, revealing what he could only assume was her workshop given the number of staffs against one wall, books thick on a nearby shelf that was by her bed, and a number of strange instruments and glowing objects he wasn’t about to put his hands on.  “Nice place.” He nodded approvingly, before finding a seat at a nearby, small round table where Sybille sat down across from him.

“It took me a lifetime to gather most of what you see, but the endeavor was worth the effort.”  A flicker of gratitude at the subject change was all he got, but it helped to set him at ease as Taiyang leaned back in the wooden seat he’d taken for himself while Sybille let her hood fall once more.  “Your display in front of Elisif and most of the fools of her court was...impressive.”

“That?  Hah, that was nothing.  You should see what my little girl can do.  And honestly, all I did was flare my Aura for a second.” Taiyang rebuked modestly. “It’s pretty much what we teach our kids, provided their Aura is unlocked.  It’s a projection of the soul, used to shield the user from harm, but one of the side effects is that it enhances a person’s natural abilities the more its trained, like any other muscle.”

The way her eyes flashed with a measure of subtle outrage and shock when he brought up training kids to fight didn’t surprise him at all since he knew how it likely sounded to an outsider, nor did her follow up question.  “Is this… Aura very common in your own world?”

Taiyang grimaced since the reason why they taught their kids at all tied too closely to the Grimm, and all of the damage they’d done since ancient times.  “It’s a necessity, without it we would’ve been wiped out long ago. Aura is one of the many tools and abilities that allow us to prevail against the creatures of Grimm.”  He told her, hating that it was necessary in the first place, before he slowly reached into his back pants pocket to pull out his Scroll. Half expecting the Dust empowered batteries to have somehow wound up inert from no longer being on Remnant, he let a little surprised hum escape him when the device powered up as it normally did, before he thumbed his way to an old textbook article from one of his class lectures during his Signal days.  Looking up, he blushed and smirked humorously at the way Sybille’s eyes looked ready to fall out of her pale face. “Sorry, I’m still getting used to the idea you’re not quite as technologically advanced as we are.”

Taking the offered Scroll hesitantly, Sybille let her eyes scan the impossibly dark, fur covered beast that was on display, her eyes taking in the bone white mask and the terrible red eyes and wicked looking claws on its front paws, before she turned the Scroll over in her hands, taking in the smooth, nearly paper thin device in its entirety.  “This is… technology from your world? No sorcery? From what little I’ve seen, this device surpases even the Dwemer’s creations.”

“It’s nothin’ special since just about everyone has a Scroll, but yeah, no magic, not counting the ground up Dust crystal batteries in that thing.  It’ll keep a charge for a good six months, and that’s if I’m not careful with how much I use it.” He explained and watched as Sybille experimentally ran her finger over the screen as he’d done, and chuckled a little when she nearly dropped it when the Beowulf started to move, having activated the video file that had come with the article.

Glaring over the edge of the Scroll’s screen as the Beowulf howled towards a darkened sky, Sybille grumbled an unamused, “You’re enjoying this far too much.”

“Hey, you’re the one that decided to show me two moons in the sky.”  He countered, but let it go at that since no harm had been meant in either instance.

“I suppose that’s true.” The mage allowed and eyed the Beowulf warily, her brow furrowed in thought and what Tai could only assume was her trying to think of ways to destroy the monster in question should one ever find its way to the Palace.  “I take it this is one of those Grimm you spoke of?”

“Yeah, and it’s hardly the only one around.”  He replied solemnly as he nodded for her to go ahead and take another look.  Reaching over the top of the Scroll, he deftly navigated away from the video before pulling up a list of the various Grimm he’d seen personally during his Huntsmen days.  “Click on any of the names listed, and more information, videos, and pictures should pop up.” He explained, and watched as Sybille flicked her fingertip on a link simply called Deathstalker.  True to his word, a new page of information appeared, which she scanned by moving her eyes alone before figuring out the Back function, returning to the previous page from which she went to another.  “You’re a quick study at least Syb.” He intoned, impressed by how quickly she was picking up the basics of his Scroll.

“ _ Sybille _ .”  She corrected without looking up from the Nuckelavee she was currently reading about.  “I’m more amazed by the amount of information stored on this machine of yours.”

“It’s not as much as you might think, but it does come in handy for the kind of work Huntsmen like me do, without being a teacher on top of it.” He told her with a shrug, understanding where she was coming from, but for him, a Scroll was such a mundane tool that he found it hard to share her excitement.  Still, seeing her eyes, as unusual as they were, light up as she went through article after article, was entertaining, and strangely heartwarming at the same time. His students, most of which had been pretty decent to work with, had all shared a similar thirst for knowledge, even if the reasons were as different as they’d been.  A pang of longing for simpler times shot through him, to a time where he had seen the same look in his daughters’ eyes, before the Fall of Beacon, before the world changed. That thought was further complicated when Sybille, either by design or accidental happenstance, backed out too far from his old notes, and found herself looking at a picture.

A picture that just so happened to be the rest of Team STRQ.  To her credit, Taiyang was glad that, when she looked up and saw the forlorn way he looked at the picture, she didn’t ask who they’d been, and what had likely happened to one or more of them.  Sighing, he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck and let his head fall a little as she set his Scroll on the table between them. “A lot of Huntsmen and Huntresses work together in teams of four.  Those three...were the ones I had worked with while I was still a student what feels like a lifetime ago.” While it was all he’d say on the topic, Sybille, he had already realized, was much more perceptive and insightful than a lot of people he could name.

As such, he might as well have aired out most of his life’s story with those two comments alone as her expression shifted from sympathy, to curiosity, before she finally settled for acceptance that this was a topic that was very uncomfortable for him.  “You have your losses, I have mine, it seems we’re not so different as I had started to believe.”

“We’re people.” Tai stated with a sad smile pulling at his lips. “It’s all part of the package.  And we knew what was at stake when we took on the job of becoming professional Huntsmen.” He sighed, reached out for his Scroll, but paused as he decided she deserved a little more than that, especially since Sybille had been nice enough not to leave him locked up in the dungeon.  Instead, he tapped on Qrow’s smug face as the man stood with his sword resting against one shoulder, the blade pointed towards the sky as he frowned at the camera. “My drunk of a brother-in-law, Qrow Branwen. He might not look like it, but he’s probably one of the best fighters on Remnant, next to his twin, Raven.”  He tapped Raven’s soft, round, pale face with her waves of dark hair running down her armored back, one hand grabbing hold of her katana’s hilt while she smiled in silent determination. “She’s...complicated, but she’s passionate, strong, and she doesn’t know how to back down from a problem. She’d prefer to just bludgeon through it.”

“Sounds like she has a lot in common with most of the Nords I know.”  Sybille replied, her silent approval visibly mixed with the understanding that to interrupt him too much now would cause him to clam up.

“Yeah… I’ll take your word for it that she’d feel right at home with the locals.” He agreed with a wistful smile.

“What about her?” Sybille asked and pointed at Summer, the last of the group, and the only one with most of her face hidden by a pale white robe.  “She seems… small for a warrior.”

Taiyang couldn’t help but chuckle as he leaned back and crossed his arms, a mischievous, knowing grin on his face.  “I wouldn’t have let Summer hear you say that. She might’ve been small, but she was one heck of a fighter. Ruby, my second daughter, takes after her mother in a lot of ways.  At least she isn’t touchy about her height, but call Summer short, and she was liable to punch your lights out.” Smiling wistfully as memories of those days flashed behind his dark blue eyes, Taiyang looked up to the stone ceiling, a single chandelier lined with candles hanging from the center of the room, and sighed.  “Summer was essentially super mom to our two girls, Ruby and Yang. A powerful Huntress by day, deliverer of homemade cookies and bedtime stories by night.”

“She sounds like a remarkable woman.”  Sybille murmured softly, understanding exactly what Taiyang was saying without actually saying it, that Summer had been the one to fall, which had likely led to the rest of the team falling apart.

“She was.” Tai agreed, and fell silent.  What else was there to say? That he wished that she was still with them? Every single member of Team STRQ felt that way, as did her daughters, and pretty much everyone who had ever met her.  Sighing again, he flicked his finger over the screen once more, before pulling up a picture of Ruby and Yang with Taiyang standing between them. “Speaking of, I think you can guess which one’s which.”  He grinned, hoping Sybille would rise to the challenge.

“Is this a trick question?”  She asked, but smiled all the same as she glanced between Tai, a remarkably sturdy looking, golden haired blonde with an almost feral gleam to her purple eyes while a much shorter, dark haired young girl with silver eyes, much like the woman in a white hood had, stood off to the side.  “I suspect that you’ve had two loves in your life, Tai, because the smaller one looks to me she could’ve been Summer’s sister.”

“Wow, most people assume Raven was Ruby’s mom.”  Tai beamed, surprised by how quick Sybille had figured out the truth of their rather unusual family dynamic.  Sighing as memories of Raven simply leaving a much smaller, baby sized Yang on his doorstep came flooding back, Taiyang merely shrugged.  “As I said, Raven was….complicated, and while she was everything I said and more, she had a lot of….issues she didn’t know how to deal with.  It was that, more than anything, that really broke our team apart, but she did do the responsible thing by leaving Yang with me instead of raising her among her...let’s call them her tribe.”  He decided to err on the side of caution. Getting into that particular ball of tangled knots was not something he wanted to do just then.

“And Summer took up where Raven left off I take it.”  Tai nodded silently, which encouraged Sybille to press a little more.  “And because you were likely already close as a team, even if you were no longer together in such a way, it was only natural love blossomed between you both.”

“Got it in one, but that’s the story in a nutshell. Although I do recall Qrow complaining about how I always got the girl.” Tai told her dryly, knowing that his brother in law had been joking around.  Qrow tended to stay away from people most of the time due to his Semblance, well that and he probably had bad memories about his tribe wanting to murder him due to said Semblance and the misfortune that followed him wherever he went.  Despite the mostly pleasant memories that had been brought up, there was a question he needed to ask. “Just so we’re on the same page Sybille, but what are the chances of me getting back to my girls?”

Taiyang watched as the woman started to open her mouth, before she paused, slowly closed her lips, and ever so slightly looked away from his face in the span of a few seconds.  It wasn’t a verbal response, but it spoke volumes all the same to the man as his dim hopes were blown away like so much melting snow. To his surprise, he felt her hand fall on top of his on the table, and looked up, further surprised by the genuinely warm, comforting gleam to her currently dim eyes.  “Whatever doubts I have left about you aside, you seem like you merely wish to get home, and that you genuinely care about your daughters. I don’t know how to get you back home to them, but I know many that have dedicated their lives to the arcane. I can’t promise anything, but I can at least promise to try to get you in touch with them.”

Touched by her trying to help him at all, especially given the fact she still harbored suspicions about his character, Taiyang could only nod as she pulled her unnaturally cold hand back.  Leaving his on the table, he cleared the lump that had formed from his throat with a ‘cough’ and said, “Ahem...well, don’t expect me to wait around on my butt in the meantime. I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not exactly helpless.”

“That remains to be seen, but you do at least seem physically capable.”  Sybille agreed as she stroked the bottom of her chin, the gears of her mind visibly spinning.  Cocking his head to the side, Tai wondered what she was mulling over, only for her to stand and start towards the door.  “Come. There’s actually a task I’d like some assistance with. And it’ll give me a chance to see this Aura of yours in action.”  Despite the less than subtle hint to a possibly life threatening situation in his imminent future, Taiyang found he didn’t mind. It certainly gave him something else to think about for the time being, if nothing else.

Following her out, Taiyang couldn’t resist one little jab at his self appointed guide.  “If you thought my Aura was impressive, just wait until you see what a Semblance can do.”

\--------------

**Winterhold**

**The College**

Raven could already hear a veritable storm of excited murmurs and hushed whispers from the other students as she was led out of her temporary room by Mirabelle Ervine, a pale skinned, tall and lanky if intimidating older woman with a few just visible gray hairs standing out against her dark brown hair she had raked back towards her back.  That she didn’t seem to care that Raven’s hand rested comfortably if noticeably on the hilt of her blade said much about the strength that resided behind her otherwise unassuming face, which was lined with only a few if noticeable wrinkles along her otherwise smooth forehead.

She wasn’t here to make friends though, and she could care less what the others thought of her, but she still kept her eyes and ears open since even idle gossip could be telling of the kind of place one found themselves in.  And after meeting something other than a human or a Faunus, Raven didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow when her eyes fell upon another dark skinned, pointy eared woman, alongside a cat man that simply smirked as she passed. Arrogance practically oozed out of him, a weakness she could exploit if it came time to fight her way through their ranks.  For now she simply stared down at them all as she passed, listening intently to Mirabelle’s running commentary about how the College was run.

Every bit of information could and would help her in the long run, even as her eyes racked the structure visible to her. Looking for routes of escape, structural weaknesses and the like, she quickly realized that this place, despite its stone walls marred by age and the elements, wasn’t necessarily built to withstand a siege.  Too large, floor to ceiling windows dotted every exterior wall, despite the fact most of them faced the cliffs that opened out to what she assumed was a large lake, or the sea, very few doors barred access from one large, circular chamber to the next, and no guards patrolled the halls, and from a quick glance out to the single bridge that ran down to the rocky shore, it wouldn’t take much to isolate the College, leaving them to starve to death.  Having said that, she saw people slinging fireballs and lightning bolts as easily as she breathed as older men and women in similar robes as Savos, went through the process of properly channeling the students’ various, innate abilities to effect the world around them. Pausing just long enough to watch a pale skinned young man raise a barrier between himself and the instructor, Raven scoffed when he wound up getting burned when his shield failed after the attack exploded in his face.

“Oh?”  She winced internally when the instructor turned his gaze upon her, having heard her little scoff.  “Oh! I see our new arrival’s decided to join us. Archmage Aren told us to expect you, Raven Branwen was it?”  Before she could reply, the bearded human turned his attention to the recovering youth he’d blown off his feet, with minor burns on his arms and face to show for his failed attempt to protect himself.  “Onmund, as always, fear will be your downfall. Maintaining a proper Ward takes patience and clarity, please be mindful of this moving forward.”

“Sensible advice.” Raven allowed and decided to play nice for the moment. “Fear can cloud the mind, but it can also be harnessed to improve one's own abilities during battle.  And while fear can keep you alive, you cannot let it control you.” Try as she might, her mind supplied a derisive  _ ‘hypocrite’  _ that she did her very best to ignore.

“Spoken like a warrior who’s seen her share of battle.” The old man observed with a wry smile. “I admit the number of those willing to learn the arcane arts as well as the ways of the sword are… few, but please join us if you wish, or continue to observe for now, whichever you prefer.”  The old man before her was a scholar through and through, Raven decided after a mere moment of contemplation. He lived to teach others and gather the knowledge to do so was clearly his main desire in life, provided he didn’t just play the part he would be one of those who would gladly help her with any problems she might run across.  Someone she could use if need be, but for the moment she set such thoughts aside as the old man returned his gaze towards her and Mirabelle. “Mira. You’re looking as radiant as ever.”

The woman, to Raven’s silent pleasure, rolled her eyes but gave her counterpart an amused half smirk.  “And you’re distracting us from the tour I was asked to give. She doesn’t even have a robe, let alone a class schedule yet, two matters that  _ will  _ be taken care of.”

“We’ll see on the robe, I go nowhere without my armor.”  Raven replied, daring Mirabelle to fight her on the matter.  To her slight surprise, the woman merely smiled in challenge at her blatant refusal.  Did these people truly not realise how much of a bother robes were in combat? She had never seen the appeal in wearing such loose clothing that would only serve to hinder oneself if attacked.  Surely these mages would be capable of wearing something more practical?

Ignoring the startled stares from the other students that were gathered in the Hall of the Elements, the brewing tension between her and Mirabelle was dispelled when Tolfdir cleared his throat, loudly.  “Mira, we all know the robes are optional, even though they do carry enchantments meant to help aid in a student’s spellcasting, whichever School of study they wish to focus upon. If Ms. Branwen wishes to remain as she is, who are we to argue?”

While Mirabelle didn’t look away from Raven’s now smug smirk, she addressed her counterpart all the same.  “Very well, but between her and one of our last graduates, I swear what tradition we have will be nothing but a memory at this rate.  Come.” She commanded, and walked past Raven to head towards a flight of stairs that led down to the first floor of the College. Raven followed her without another word, the satisfaction of having won this little confrontation palpable in the air.  She could practically feel Mirabelle growing increasingly annoyed by the loss as well at the astonished and awe filled gazes of the students as they left the room. It was always good to make a strong first impression. Strength was all that mattered in the end.

_ You say you’re strong, but you couldn’t be more powerless. _  While it wasn’t an exact quote, that it sounded just like what her daughter had thrown in her face still had Raven gritting her teeth as she left the stairs, and found herself in a similarly circular chamber Mirabelle called the Hall of Attainment, which gave way to a number of lecture halls and a separate living area and dorms for the more advanced students.  It was all very neatly organized, easily navigated, but with the amount of literal magic in the air, if someone  _ was  _ ever foolish enough to attack, Raven had the feeling they’d be in for quite the fight despite the obvious fact many of the students were barely older than Ruby.

Yet her friend’s daughter had had training, discipline, despite her youthful exuberance and lingering naivety, while these kids seemed to lack both. They were careful with their spells for the most part sure, but she could see how they challenged what they were allowed to do, what they were capable of. She wasn’t surprised, it was the way of children to push the boundaries, tell them “you can't” and they merely take it as a challenge to prove you wrong, and that was without the thrice cursed puberty.  So when the tour was over and they’d returned to the Hall of the Elements, with Tolfdir asking another of his students to demonstrate a spell they’d tried to create, something that just boggled Raven’s mind all on its own, she watched as the cat man she’d spotted earlier stood before the old man, and promptly wound up on his fur covered backside when a wave of flame and concussive force threw him down.

“It would seem you’ve yet to find a viable means of controlling that much power, J’Zargo.  I’d suggest you focus your energies on more conventional spells.” No sooner had the words left his mouth did Raven see the hurt pride and arrogance of youth pull at J’Zargo’s furry face as he stood to his feet, his fur ruffled but otherwise alright from what she could tell.  Tall yet compact, his face was rounder, more elongated much like a cat’s, but there was no mistaking the spark behind his pale blue eyes, let alone the fact he was standing on two legs like any man Raven had ever met. His appearance might have been more bestial than even the most feral of Faunus, but she had no doubt that this J’zargo was anything but a beast.  Black stripes snaked their way down his face, highlighting his large, ice blue eyes, while claws were just visible where a normal person’s fingernails would otherwise reside.

“J’Zargo does not give up easily.  I  _ will  _ get this enhanced Fireshield to work.”  He promised, which Tolfdir chose to not comment on since it was obvious to them both it’d be a pointless argument.

That didn’t mean she wouldn’t add her own two lien however.  “While I salute your efforts in trying to push past the boundaries of what’s considered conventional wisdom, you’d be wise to listen to at least the caution if not the demand behind your instructor’s words, J’Zargo was it?  You need to master the basics before you can surpass and improve upon them, because if the foundation is weak, the whole will crumble.”

Even without seeing his face until he turned to address her, Raven could practically hear the eye roll as he said, “And J’Zargo wonders why you would care to-”

“I don’t.  I simply don’t like to see potential wasted in foolish endeavors that ultimately end with someone turning into a pile of ash because they were inpatient.”  The murmurs from the students on either side of the room she ignored as she walked up to the now torn cat man, conflicting emotions visible in his unusual but fetching eyes.  “I know enough about magic from my world to know what I’m talking about, but the lessons in any discipline are the same at their core. You’re arrogant, that much is obvious.”

“I’m good at what I do.”  J’Zargo replied, without a hint of shame. “J’Zargo is merely aware of his own abilities.”

“So am I.” Raven countered, unimpressed by his pigheadedness. “Confidence is about being aware of your abilities as well as your limitations, and knowing when you are outmatched can make the difference between a new Archmage, or a pile of furry ash.”  When J’Zargo found he couldn’t maintain her steely, red eyed glare after a stretch of tension filled silence fell between them, the shocked gasps from the others she noted but otherwise didn’t comment on as she looked towards Tolfdir. “I’ll give you this much, you might just be able to teach this one, if you weren’t so soft handed.”

“Sometimes hard earned experience can be the best, and only, teacher for some.”  Tolfdir countered, but even he couldn’t keep his slight surprise from her eyes at how easily she’d cowed one of their most confident, if most arrogant, so quickly.  “But you’ve also admitted that you suffer from a lack of a proper foundation in the arcane.”

It was Raven’s turn to grimace, but nod, far more willing to admit to the fact that, while she had come far in mastering her...unique abilities, she was far more comfortable with a sword.  That, and she needed to learn about this world, and what better way to do so than to take a few lessons from the locals? “I admit that I lack any formal education as I have always used my innate abilities… on an instinctual level.” Raven told him, not quite true as she could will and shape her magic to a certain extent, but the abilities at her disposal were limited in comparison to the number of spells she had been able to observe just on the tour alone.

“Well, you certainly came to the right place.”  Raven didn’t doubt that.

\-------------

**Ivarstead**

**Outside Vilemyr Inn**

When Wilhem, the innkeeper, had mentioned there were ghosts lurking around a nearby Barrow, Sirille had been silently giddy with relief that there’d been something to take her mind off of the inevitable path her destiny seemed to be pulling her towards.  Between that and a nearby bounty hunt on a rabid group of marauding bandits that had taken up refuge in a desolate guard tower to the east of the Barrow, there was plenty to keep them busy for a while.

“So… what you wanna do first kid? Ghosts or bandits?” The newest member of their merry little band asked as he leaned against the doorframe and looked out at the rising sun.

Packing the last of their supplies, Siri looked up from her bag, her face a study in surprise. “What?  No preferences?”

“New here, remember?  Besides, I’ve never messed with ghosts, before so I don’t know what to expect… on the other hand bandits are a dime a dozen, so there is that.” Qrow told her as he flicked his eyes towards her for a split second before he returned to observing the sky.  “Just wanna make sure we’re gonna meet our new playmates soon, otherwise I’ll go back to sleep. I’ve had a rough few days.”

“Since we’ve made a mess of the inn, I think we’d be better off leaving sooner rather than later, my Thane.” Lydia intoned softly, her gaze on the glaring woman in question as she stared at the open door.  That Wilhelm had been willing to share rumors of the Barrow and the nearby bandits at all said how much trouble they’d been in recent weeks, otherwise Siri and the rest of the group believed that the woman wouldn’t have said a word with how much blood and entrails they’d left all over the floor.  Not by their choice, but it made sense why Wilhelm was giving them the evil eye all the same.

“Let’s go, we can decide on the way.”  Siri said as she slung her pack across her shoulders, as Lydia did the same before falling in behind her.  Qrow kept to the side and a fair distance behind, although whether it was to simply follow or because he was afraid something might happen if he were too close, she couldn’t have said.  She only knew that something was….different about him, different in the way he’d fought with such fluid grace and speed while demonstrating superhuman levels of strength, and then there was the fact one of the cultists had tripped and fell to his death by fork that made her wonder if there was something to his talk of misfortune seeming to follow him around.

Only once they were out of town and in the fields around Ivarstead, did Siri pull out her map and beckon the others to come close.  She noted how Qrow raised an eyebrow as the blank spaces around the edges of their current location began to fill out and become more detailed, but Siri didn’t comment on it, filing it away as another point in favor of his being from another world entirely from Nirn.  Tapping at the east side, where she assumed the Barrow had just appeared, she frowned when she saw no trace of the tower the bandits were hold up in. If she were a betting woman, she’d put it beyond the lake, the edge of which had also appeared on the map. “Looks like it’s indeed further east than the Barrow, probably a good hour away.  We could double back, hit the tower first and make our way to the Barrow before returning to the village.”

“It does seem the most efficient way to get our task completed.”  Lydia agreed, although whether she was offering her honest opinion or because she was her Housecarl, Siri couldn’t have said.

“So, any reason why you’re stalling for time, kid?”  Qrow asked suddenly as Siri began to put her map back, only to freeze momentarily and glance, a mixture of open shame and surprise furrowing her brow.  “Please, I used to teach kids back at Signal Academy, procrastination was practically an elective for some of them.”

“You were a teacher?”  Lydia asked, her surprise being of the contagious variety since Siri couldn’t help but wonder the same thing.

“Among other things.” Qrow confirmed with a shrug. “That so hard to believe?”

“Yes!”  Lydia exclaimed while Siri simply walked on with a shake of her head.

“Heh, don’t let my niece hear you say that, she’d kick your rear end, Lyd.”  Just as quickly, Qrow crossed his arms and returned his gaze to her back, the question he’d asked practically burning a hole through her battle mage attire.

She debated simply ignoring him, to keep on walking and act like nothing was wrong, but Siri found as she pulled the hood of her robe up as gray, rain heavy clouds began to darken the horizon, that she needed to get at least some of the story out into the open on her own terms.  That and she decided, talking about it might help make sense of things for her as well. “Lydia can confirm some of this, since it’s not exactly uncommon knowledge, but...to put a long story short, my people are...not the kindest as they once were.” She felt rather than saw Qrow as he jogged up to match her step as they made their way through a copse of trees, with a rather large stone circle marking the entrance to the Barrow a few dozen feet to their right.  Sighing heavily, she was glad she had the confines of her hood to obscure her face as she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “Two hundred years ago, the Oblivion Crisis nearly destroyed Tamriel, and if not for the selfless sacrifice of one man, the daedric forces led by Mehrunes Dagon would’ve swept over everything in their path. The Altmeri from the Summerset Isles played a large part in keeping them at bay where they could, and while they were hardly the only ones fighting for our world’s survival, they did a great deal on their own.”

“Somehow I get the feeling this story has a very unhappy ending.”  Qrow rumbled softly, but thankfully otherwise kept silent as they left the Barrow behind in short order.

“You’re not wrong.”  Siri agreed as she spotted a number of mushrooms attached to the bark of one of the trees.  Moving over to collect a few, she produced a short knife from her belt, and opened up her alchemy bag on her belt before setting to work.  Taking their cues from her, Qrow and Lydia did the same without needing to be told. “Martin Septim was the last of the dragon blood, the Emperor’s last surviving, bastard child.  Assassins from a group that followed Dagon, called the Mythic Dawn, had killed all of his other sons, and had saved the Emperor for last. It’s here that someone had a fateful encounter with Uriel as he fled through his own palace with an escort of loyal bodyguards, and it was from there that who’d later become known as the Heroine of Kvatch, would lead the people of Cyrodiil against Mehrunes Dagon’s forces, taking the fight right to Oblivion itself.  But it was Martin Septim that would do the impossible.”

“From what little I know, he became an avatar to Akatosh himself didn’t he?”  Lydia asked, to which Siri nodded as she put one of the mushrooms into her pouch before going for another.

“It was a little more involved, but yes.  Uriel, and every Emperor before him once a pact was formed between the Septim line and the Divines, wore an powerfully enchanted amulet that could only be worn by a Septim.  It was used in a sacred ritual that strengthened the Dragon Barrier until the next Emperor was put on the throne when the previous had passed, but with all but one Septim killed by the Mythic Dawn, the ritual couldn’t be completed, and the barrier began to fade, allowing Dagon to begin to send his Oblivion Gates all over Tamriel, which in turn unleashed his armies.”  Finishing up in collecting her alchemy components, she gladly took what the others had gathered and put them away in her pouch before moving onward. “If not for the Blades having hidden away Martin when he was still a newborn, all of Nirn would be a wasteland by now. But with Martin shattering the Amulet of Kings by spilling his blood on it, he was able, for a time, to  _ become  _ Akatosh, just as Mehrunes Dagon finally punched through to our world in all of his terrible power and might.”

“Yeesh.  And with the way you’re talkin’, I take it this guy was comparable to a god.”

“All Daedric Princes are near god like.”  Siri agreed, her voice grim and low since she understood, even if she hadn’t seen it herself, just how terribly powerful a Daedric Prince was.  “And to make it worse, Daedra can’t be killed permanently since they’re essentially spirits until they’re able to reconstitute themselves once defeated.”

“Then that means ol Dagon’s still kicking, huh?”  While he made his question sound like he was barely paying attention, a quick glance his way revealed that his eyes had locked onto the side of her hood like a hawk.

“He is, but he can’t return, because whatever Martin did, it’s strengthened the Barrier, so much so that it’s made it much harder for even the strongest Daedra to cause trouble like they used to.”  She was quick to assure him, unable to help but take a small measure of satisfaction at having seen the man grow visibly uneasy.

“Well that’s something at least, figure you have enough problems without these Deadra trying to invade your world.”  Qrow muttered, his arms crossed over his chest once more as they began to crest a large, grassy hill with a number of brightly colored flowers scattered about.  “So what does all this have to do with your people, kid, other than they were supposedly instrumental in driving Dagon’s boys back to whatever hole they crawled out of?”

“You actually answered your own question, Qrow.”  Siri replied as she ran a gloved hand over her face.  “Because according to a group that call themselves the Thalmor,  _ they  _ were the ones responsible for putting Dagon back from whence he came.  Not Martin, not Akatosh, and certainly not some random woman that just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  And anyone that said otherwise has likely either died of old age by now, they’ve died in the Great War between the Empire and the Isles not so long ago, or they’ve...disappeared.”  Pausing as the weight of her words settled on them both, Siri was once again thankful her hood was up since she didn’t have to look at Qrow’s face to see his shock and outrage at what she was saying.  For Lydia it was mostly old news since Thalmor abductions for those still holding to Talos were a common thing anymore, but even she couldn't suppress the gasp that escaped her at just how far the Thalmor had gone to make it seem they were the heroes.

“Alright, next question.  How do you know all this, Sirille?”  Qrow’s use of her name was what got her attention more than the question itself as she paused and looked his way so abruptly, Lydia had to stop and take a couple steps back just so she was at her side.

“....Because I’ve had reason to question everything I thought I knew.”  It was all she was willing to say before silently pushing forward without a word.  Getting the hint, Qrow and Lydia followed. Stepping up to the edge of the lake, Siri blew out a breath as her eyes zeroed in on the distant tower.  With one side protected by a steep cliff, with the tower itself on a peninsula with very little cover on either shore, getting up to the structure undetected wouldn’t be easy.

It was then she noticed Qrow wasn’t beside her any longer.  “Where’d he go?” Siri asked, which drew Lydia’s gaze to where the man had just been standing a minute ago.  Hearing a caw, she blinked as a crow flew right for the tower. Sharing an uncertain look with Lydia, she pressed onward, deciding to take the shortest path to the tower by going around the left side of the lake.  Something told her things were about to get very interesting, and she wasn’t wrong.

A booming sound, like an explosion centralized to a single point, ripped through the still air as the first rain drops splattered against Siri’s hood, but it was the bloody remains of a body falling from the tower that had her undivided attention as they ran the rest of the way.  A glance at the roof, and Siri could make out Qrow, the sword at his side now in his hand, except it had...changed. Before she could get a better look, he turned, pointed two black barrels that had been hidden beneath the blade at another of the bandits, and pulled a lever that hadn’t been there before, just as another loud explosion ripped through the second of the bandits.  He too flew from the roof, propelled by dozens of what looked like pieces of shrapnel which made short work of him the moment they found their marks in his armored body.

“What in Oblivion is that weapon?!”  Cried an astonished and horrified Lydia as she and Siri took just a moment to glance down at the dead bandit that had fallen in their path.  It looked like a bear had mauled him, before or after a fireball full of shrapnel had gone off right against his chest. His armor and body both were shredded nearly beyond recognition, and if not for what was left of his bearded face, it would’ve been impossible to identify him, such was the extent of the damage.

“We can ask him when we catch up!”  Siri shouted back as she glanced up just in time to see Qrow pull another lever on the hilt of his blade, just in time for the sword to transform back into its original form through a series of loud, mechanical gears that clicked noisily together until it locked into its previous form.  Coming around the east side of the tower and the peninsula it resided on, she summoned a blade to her hand just as one of the bandits tried to flee from Qrow. He didn’t see her until she was driving her bound, spectral blade through his throat without stopping to check her handiwork.

Reaching the main gate to the tower, they were just in time to see another bandit end up crushed by a piece of stone.  Blinking at the sight, she at first didn’t see the archer until an arrow flew by her cheek, close enough that she felt it pass through her hair.  Snapping her gaze up to the woman that had fired, Siri had only just started to call a fire bolt to her fingertips, before Qrow had jumped over the side of the tower, landed just behind the archer on a wooden ramp that led up to the roof, and drive his broadsword through her back and out her chest.  The leather, fur lined armor had no hope of standing up to the sheer strength behind the swing, let alone resist whatever metal Qrow’s sword was made from, not that he seemed to notice as he withdrew his blade with the same ease it’d gone in, leaving a gaping hole through the Nord woman who fell, lifeless, to the water’s edge below.  “Get up here, they had hostages on the roof.” Not about to argue with the order, Siri swallowed back the stream of questions she had wanted to shout at him.

Turning to the door, Siri at first didn’t see the bandit that had been huddled just inside the tower’s main entrance until the second woman in the group was drawing her dagger.  With no way to bring her Bound Blade up in time, she did the only thing she could do as time seemed to slow down to a crawl, with Lydia shouting for her to get out of the way despite the futility of it at this point.

Sucking in air from the gasp of surprise that had been about to escape her, Siri instead turned her focus inward as the steel dagger was jabbed upward, towards her unprotected armpit.  It was there she felt something stir, something far more powerful than her. Opening her mouth, Siri pulled on that sensation, brought it up through her lungs, and let it bubble forth in a deafening roar that was not a roar.

“ **_FUS_ ** !”

The bandit never knew what hit her as she was flung backward, a wave of kinetic force slamming into her like physical blow.  Crashing into the wall behind her, Siri didn’t let her regain her footing before driving her summoned blade through the woman’s chest with both hands.  Giving it a vicious twist for good measure, she stumbled back just as she felt Qrow’s hand on her back, panting from the exertion of having Shouted for the second time in her life.  “So….I guess I ain’t the only one with secrets. Suddenly that Dragonborn thing makes a lot more sense.”

\------------------

**End Notes:**  Everyone’s starting to move together at least.  Hopefully that little fight at the end with Qrow going HAM was alright.  I’m not entirely happy with the J’Zargo stuff, but meh, overall that section with Raven I think turned out okay otherwise.  Taiyang though, of everything in this chapter, that was the hardest honestly. Still, I owe Nomad a lot of thanks for helping me get through some of this.  At any rate, I hope you guys and gals enjoy and we’ll see ya next time. The next chapter’s gonna be...interesting lol.


	4. Blood and Flames

**Opening Notes** :  I made a somewhat major edit to the first chapter, where Raven appears in the College of Winterhold.  She is no longer admitting to being a Maiden, but rather dances around it by simply explaining how rare magic is in Remnant.  Someone over on SpaceBattles rightfully called me out on rushing things in certain respects, and while I argued politely about some of what he mentioned, the ‘Raven is the Spring Maiden’ was one I completely agreed with when he brought it up.   **Jesse K** , thanks for pointing that out my friend, it’s greatly appreciated, truly.  :D

 

**Chapter 3**

**Blood and Flames**

\------------------

**Near Solitude**

**Pinemoon Cave**

It’d taken almost two hours of preparation and walking through the wilderness to get to the cave, but Taiyang hadn’t minded the walk.  It’d given him an opportunity to ask a few questions about Skyrim and the Empire in general, which Sybille was more than happy to talk about despite her audible annoyance at some of what the Emperor had done during and after the Great War against the Thalmor.  Pushing his wandering thoughts aside as they left a small pond behind, he glanced at a rocky outcropping with a just visible pair of torches on either side of an opening that wound deeper into the ground. His eyes immediately fell seconds later on an abandoned camp which was just outside, a pair of old, moth eaten bedrolls, and a long dead firepit situated between them.

Something about all this felt...off, but it wasn’t to Sybille from what he could tell, who knelt beside him in a cluster of bushes that overlooked the cave.  Despite the rain that began to come down hard, they both ignored it as he turned to address the wizard at his side. “So what are we doing here exactly?”

“There’s a nest of vampires in that cave.  With how close they are to the ro-”

“Wait, vampires?”  He asked, earning a momentarily puzzled look from Sybille before he said, “Pretend I’m not from around here.”  Her pointed ears visibly twitched before her lips quirked ever so slightly into an embarrassed smile at having forgotten that.

“My apologies.”  She replied before starting away from the cave so they wouldn’t be quite so easily spotted.  “I keep forgetting you truly are a stranger to this place I’ve known my whole life.” It was then that Taiyang noticed how uncomfortable she looked as her eyes dimmed, her face an otherwise unreadable mask.  “Vampires are...unique, in many respects, to most everything else you might ever encounter in Tamriel as a whole. They’re dead, yet they walk around as surely as we do, but they require blood to sustain themselves, and therein lies a common problem.  Some vampires are content to simply feed upon livestock, animals they hunt down, or the occasional bandit or criminal. Most however, aren’t guided by a functioning morality to keep their habits to the guilty and the merciless.”

“So these guys have been feeding on innocent people is what you’re saying.”  Sybille nodded as Taiyang glanced back at the cave. “Okay, I follow so far, but how’d you find out about them?”

“People disappearing from the road during the night, corpses drained of blood being found by random passerbyers, and reports of strangers coming and going at odd hours of the night from the nearby towns and villages.  Strangers that don’t eat or drink anything when they visit said places.” Putting a hand on his unarmored shoulder, Taiyang met Sybille’s gaze as her face visibly took on a stern veneer. “Do not let any of them bite or scratch you, and if you find anyone that seems to be alive yet fighting for their undead masters, kill them.  They are beyond salvation, because when a vampire bites someone, they can enthrall their minds with their innate abilities, permanently if they’ve been under their sway for too long, and a quick death is the best thing you can give them. And since many vampires are decades, if not centuries old, many are exceedingly dangerous with magic and blade, so  _ don’t  _ underestimate any of them.”

While he was having trouble getting his head around what Sybille was saying, he  _ was  _ willing to give a little faith since she’d yet to give him a reason to doubt her yet.  True, she could’ve lied about any number of things and he wouldn’t know any better until he’d gotten a chance to investigate, but she’d given him a chance to prove his innocence.  That assured him that, despite her cold nature at times, Sybille was willing put a measure of faith in him. That however didn’t mean he’d take everything she said at face value, especially since it wasn’t his way to seek out a fight when he could avoid one.  “While I trust you enough to believe that whoever’s in that cave is dangerous, I’m not exactly the judge, jury, and executioner kind of guy. Grimm I have no problem fighting, but people...people are a little more difficult.”   


“These aren’t people-”

“Maybe not, but I need to see them for myself before I can decide either way on just what we should do.”  Taiyang gently interrupted as he started for the cave once more. “Call me naive if you like Sybille, but I can’t just take another person’s life without a very compelling reason.”

“People die all the time here, and at least one of those vampires have been ‘dead’ for a lot longer than you’ve breathed air.  Whatever humanity they might’ve had is likely long since gone.” Sybille spat out, but Taiyang’s only crossed his arms and refused to look away from her burning orange eyes.  She suddenly calmed, which for some reason, worried Taiyang more than a little as she stalked past, silent as a wraith. “You require proof, you’ll find what you seek inside.”  The ominous promise in her voice only set his nerves further on edge, further exacerbated by the rain and the chill it brought with it.

Shivering from more than the cold, Taiyang followed her into the cave after a short walk back to the outcropping where the entrance resided, gaping like an open maw into some dark, unfathomable abyss.  Taking a hesitant sniff, he grimaced when the sickly, coppery smell of fresh blood and corpse rot wafted out, making his stomach flip flop before he managed to swallow back the bile that had started to bubble up.  Before he’d gotten past the camp and the entrance though, Sybille put a frigidly cold hand on his arm, and he felt...a tingle race up his bicep before settling into his eyes. Blinking them, he opened them again and saw that the darkness of the cave had suddenly become much brighter.  Nodding his thanks for the strange magic once his eyes adjusted to being able to see in the dark much like a Faunus, Taiyang immediately wished he couldn’t when he saw the first body left to rot in the middle of the dirt and stone floor.

“A warning.”  Sybille whispered as she turned the bandit over onto his back.  Taiyang remained silent as he took in the way the man’s throat had been viciously ripped open.  The bite was too...uniform for an animal attack though, too precise, and a quick glance at the dead man’s eyes revealed they were shut.  Dried on blood over the eyelids suggested someone had taken the time to close them, although it certainly hadn’t been out of respect since he’d been stripped down to his soiled, dirt stained underwear.  “There’ll be more of the same and worse inside.”

Tai merely grunted in reply, having seen similiar before.  It wasn’t unusual for rivaling tribes of bandits to try and ‘discourage’ other tribes and unwary travelers in a similarly bloody fashion.  They usually didn’t hide in caves true, but on the other hand at least the bodies they left didn’t normally show signs of extensive and prolonged torture.  Raven’s tribe was especially ‘kind’ in that sense, despite Taiyang knowing full well that she had led raids against outlying settlements on multiple occasions.  They were raiders, but they weren’t monsters, unlike those that had come before according to Raven herself. It didn’t excuse her of course, but there were far worse people than her out there.

Pushing such thoughts aside for now, Taiyang breathed slowly out and closed his eyes as his Aura flared to life around him.  When he opened his eyes again, they’d changed, from a dark deep blue to a radiant gold that seemed to flicker and dance like an inferno.  It was a subtle shift, one Sybille noticed, but he wasn’t paying her much mind anymore. Having reached a decision, Taiyang knew he wouldn’t kill them outright unless he had no other choice, he wasn’t that kind of guy.  He’d give them a choice, if they took it he would accept their surrender, but if not… well, frontier justice wasn’t a foreign concept to veteran Huntsmen like him. It was just one of many things he hadn’t shared with his kids, the ugly side of the path people like them walked.  Sybille had tried to warn him about what awaited them when they entered the main chamber of the cavern, with him just ahead of her, but what greeted them was far more horrific than what he’d been expecting. The smell was far worse, with the scent of blood thick on the still air, but it was the sight of a mangled corpse strung up between two stalagmites near the back of the cavern that had Taiyang’s undivided attention.

Just as a woman holding a knife in her right hand turned towards them after she’d peeled away another chunk from the bandit corpse before her, Taiyang had since spotted four other vampires, all of them in similar outfits as the woman who was now salivating in anticipation when she saw them.  The flash of fangs in her upper lip as they curled upward into a malevolent smile, burning red eyes staring gleefully at them as she twirled the knife so it was pointed at the ground, was what convinced him that mercy was a foreign concept to these….people. Even the Grimm were more human than these  _ creatures _ . Grimm were soulless monsters, created to destroy man and all of their creations.  As vile as they were though, they didn’t have a sense of right or wrong like humans or Faunus did, but these vampires knew and still chose to do these things.

“Surrender now, and you might get to live.”  Try as he might, Taiyang couldn’t shake the image of Ruby or Yang hanging helpless from those stalagmites, mutilated and tortured for their blood and the sheer enjoyment these things had likely gotten out of inflicting such blatant harm to another person, so whatever mercy he’d planned to give had gone up like so much Dust.  The derisive laughs and hoots from the vampires helped to solidify his decision though as Taiyang spread his feet just so, and held his hands up in a comforting, familiar stance. “Then I guess that’s your call.” Closing his eyes, Tai breathed out, and opened them anew, except they were no longer a dark blue. They’d turned a vibrant gold, with just visible flames dancing around the irises, proving that Yang’s eye flash wasn’t unique to her alone.

And with that, he abandoned any unnecessary thought, and attacked.  Combat was about action and reaction, there was no need for him to think in this old song and dance as his Semblance began to glow bright as he charged the knife wielding woman.  His first strike was enough to shatter her ribcage, killing her. He showed no reaction to her quick demise, or the fact that she turned into ash, he was already moving towards his next target. Dodging a series of quickly fired icicles, he caught one of them as he spun under a second, and jammed it into the caster’s right eye as he came to a stop just behind the man.  His next opponent fared no better as a giant warhammer, held by a green skinned humanoid, came crashing down atop him. Tai simply stepped to the side, a flash of gold and flames as his Semblance built up steam, the hammer’s head leaving a small crater where he’d just been standing. He hardly batted an eye as his fists beat a rapid staccato against the tusked man’s chest and stomach, his suit of steel caving inward with every powerful strike.  Grabbing him by the front of his face, Tai dragged the green skinned brute down to the unforgiving stone. Between his open hand and the cave floor, his head was crushed as if it’d been put in a vice, with Taiyang grimacing when a distant part of his mind reminded him these people didn’t have Aura. It was just enough of a distraction for another mage to throw a fireball at his back.

Sybille was there to take the hit with a shimmering shield.  Nodding his thanks, he sought another target while his partner answered the assault with one of her own, a crack of lightning shooting from her outstretched free hand that sent the rival spellcaster flying back towards the far wall.  He didn’t get back up as she fired again, flash frying him on the spot before he too turned into a pile of ash.

“For our masters!”  Yelled two, almost skeletal looking humans in tattered clothing.  Bite marks were visible around their exposed necks, with one set looking quite fresh as it oozed blood down the side of the woman’s pale, sickly white skin.  This didn’t seem to stop them from bringing a pair of swords and shields to bear on the brawler though as the woman charged in first, slicing towards his chest while her partner jabbed forward just over her shoulder.

Ducking under the first swing, Tai jumped to the side of the other before slamming his fist into the woman’s shield.  Thrown back, her chin came away bloody as her own shield smashed into her face, the sound of bones snapping in her arm quickly being drowned out by her agonized screams.  Her partner completely ignored her, his eyes wild with fanatical devotion to his undead master, which only proved Sybille correct as he stepped on and over the woman in his effort to kill him.  Tai would’ve found the sight horrific in a way, except he was too focused on ending this fight as quickly as possible as the man swung down, only for his blade to end up caught between the master martial artist’s palms.

Twisting his hands sideways, the blade was wrenched out of the enslaved man’s hands, spinning around so that Tai now held onto the hilt.  He gave his opponent a solid shove with his shoulder and thrust forward, piercing both the man and woman as they now lay still on top of one another, ending their suffering.  Letting go of the sword, his attention was drawn to the last opponent still standing, that Sybille was even then overpowering as the rival mage that had skuled out of a nearby chamber was blasted back by the much more powerful woman’s magic.  Turning away, Tai’s eyes, burning with the golden light of both his Aura and his Semblance, widened when he saw an archer taking aim at Sybille’s back.

A flash of gold was all the warning anyone had as Tai leaped between them as the arrow flew from the man’s bow.  Grabbing the projectile mid flight, Tai twirled the shaft through his fingers, and threw it back all in the same fluid motion as he hit the ground in a crouch several feet across the chamber.  Wreathed in the light of his Aura, it hit the archer square in the chest, and promptly burned a hole right through him. Paying him no more than a passing look, Tai glanced down the hall the archer had come from, and grimaced again when he saw yet more dead bodies beyond laid out on tables or locked in cages.  But as far as more enemies were concerned, there was none left save for the one Sybille was even then finishing off as she bathed the man in a seemingly never ending stream of flame.

When it was over, Tai closed his eyes, the flames that had begun to dance and swirl around him like a veritable haze of heat slowly disappeared, and his eyes returned to a dark, calming blue once more when he opened them again.  Stumbling as the exhaustion came next, he sighed and looked down at his bloodied hands. “That was...not pleasant.” He muttered, only to look up to see Sybille staring at him, her eyes as wide as saucers. Looking over his shoulder at the dusted archer, he shrugged.  “You saw that huh?”

“You caught an arrow from mid flight and tossed it back.”  It wasn’t a question, merely a statement of fact, and Tai could detect a hint of wariness in it.  Apparently she now understood that he was far more dangerous than she had initially believed, and he found he didn’t like it. People shouldn’t be afraid of him without good reason.  But just as quickly, she exhaled and whatever fear had begun to overtake her seemed to just melt away. “And yet you also saved my life, despite our….initial meeting in Castle Dour. A stranger who...interrogated you, no less.”

“Was that what it was?”  He asked, smiling now that the initial fear had passed.  “I just thought it was a nice conversation.” He teased, earning an amused scoff from the woman.

“You know what I mean.”  She retorted, but Tai’s ever present smile proved too much for her as she relaxed, if slightly, as she slowly approached.  “I at least know now you truly are who you’ve said, Taiyang. I...had found myself hoping, but I’ve been...disappointed before, so I’ve learned to not expect much of anything from those around me.  Some of that comes from a lifetime at court, of dealing with sniveling milk drinkers that call themselves nobility, but the rest….”

“The rest I think I can guess at Syb.”  Taiyang replied softly as he glanced down at what was left of one of the vampires they’d killed together.  “You’re like them, aren’t you?” Her sharp inhale of breath was all the answer he needed as he held up a hand and smiled a little wider, the warmth in his face only seeming to grow stronger still.  “You’re like them only in  _ what  _ you are, not who you’ve chosen to be Sybille.”

“How-”

“Oh that’s easy.  I’m not an idiot.”  He chuckled, and crossed his arms over his chest.  “Your eyes glow for one, just like theirs did, although they were a crimson red whereas yours are an ember orange, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I haven’t seen you eat or drink anything since we’ve been together. Also you told me that they were… dead but still walking amongst the living, so when you touched me, your body temperature was just as frigid as our surroundings.  If you’d been alive you would have been unconscious or dead with that little body heat, that and it’s pretty obvious you have experience with...these people.” He hedged, and let his arms fall to his sides again as he knelt down to see if maybe there was some clue as to who they’d once been, or if they were perhaps working for someone. “Only someone that’s endured what you likely have has a fraction of the sheer cold rage I’ve seen in your face Sybille.”  He was no longer smiling as he stood, having come away with only a few gold coins he assumed was this world’s form of currency, and a few potions with a thick blue liquid inside. “I don’t know your story, but I can guess. That you’ve managed to live alongside Elisif and her court, Torygg’s court before that, for as long as you have, says that you’re not a bad person. So saving your life was barely an afterthought to me.”

“Do I need to worry about you saying anything?”  She asked, to which Taiyang frowned but shook his head, understanding why she had felt compelled to ask at all.  “What word can you give that I’d believe?”

“I can only promise your secret’s safe with me Sybille, whether you believe it or not is up to you.  I have no reason to betray your trust, and I doubt I’d ever do so willingly. What you do isn’t any of my business, since you aren’t hurting innocent people.”  He said with a shrug and a small smile that faded as he glanced at the dead bodies in the back chamber of the cavern. “And on that note, what do we do about...them?”  Ignoring the way she blinked before a hesitant smile started to spread across her face, he followed Sybille as she started for the ‘storage area’.

“We can’t do much except try and identify who they were, and let their families know.  Besides, most people burn their dead in Skyrim.” She emphasized that by calling forth fire to her hand, but she didn’t use it yet.  Mentally preparing himself for the task that lay ahead of them, Taiyang followed without a word.

\---------------

**Near Ivarstead**

**Shroud Hearth Barrow**

“That was different.”  A quietly surprised Qrow said as the ‘ghost’ turned out to merely be a man.  True, he’d been able to turn himself spectral and see through, but a quick once over of the diary he’d kept in what was left of his dirt stained and tattered clothes told of the potion he’d been taking so he could scare off would be trespassers.  All of this effort, just so he could get at the treasure that lay behind some giant door Lydia was even then examining while Siri remained at his side. “Gotta hand it to him, he had a pretty good plan, up until he started to lose his mind. 1E? 4E?”  He asked, in an effort to make sense of the dates that were scribbled at the beginning of each entry.

“First Era, Fourth Era.”  Siri replied without having to think before she blinked, just as Qrow looked up at the same time.  Glancing at the large stone door just down the hall, beyond where the Dunmeri had set up his living quarters as well as a somewhat well stocked alchemy lab, they breathed easier when Lydia returned and shook her head.  “Locked?”

“Just like the last Barrow you described, my Thane.”  Seeing their worried looks, Lydia paused midstep and frowned.  “What’s wrong?”

“I’m thinking we’re both wondering if whatever’s beyond that door might’ve played a part in what happened to this guy.”  Qrow said as he nudged the dead dark elf with the toe of his boot. “The further along you go in his diary, the more mental he gets.”

“Ment-...oh, you mean mad.”  Lydia stated as she joined them, Qrow nodding his head as he handed over the dirty, worn diary to her outstretched hand.  Once she finished, she turned to look towards Siri, who was unusually quiet as she stared blankly at the stone door. “Are you certain you want to find a way inside, my Thane?”

“I’m certain of nothing.”  Siri growled before she all but slumped into one of the few, crudely carved wooden chairs in the Barrow.  “And that’s the problem.”

Sharing a worried look with Lydia, Qrow sighed as he made his way over to the table, his arms crossed across his chest as he tucked his hands into his armpits.  Leaning his butt against the stone table that jutted out from the wall itself, where a few bits of plants and bugs still resided, he at first didn’t say anything.  When he did speak, his voice was unusually soft, for him, but what he had to say the kid clearly needed to hear. Pulling out his flask, he turned it over in his hands, the liquid ‘courage’ inside sloshing about so softly he had to strain his ears to hear it.  “I have two nieces waiting back home, probably wondering what happened to their Uncle Qrow.” He didn’t react when Siri looked up, the hood of her robe falling back. He simply kept going. “Yang, my buddy and brother-in-law Tai’s ‘sunny little dragon’, and Ruby...probably one of the most compassionate, innocent, yet determined kids you’d ever meet.  As much as I’ve played it off this whole time, I’m only following you and the tin lady until I find a way back to them.”

It was here that he unscrewed the lid and took a small sip before putting the cap back on, before just as quickly putting his flask away.  “But as for your problem, Sirille, I honestly don’t know what to make of it. I do know what typically happens to people with supposedly great, oftentimes self imposed, destinies though.”  The hard look in his red eyes said enough as memories of a certain red haired girl was turned to ash by a madwoman drunk on power that had never been meant for her. The only reason he knew was because Oz’s cameras had picked up enough of the fight to give him a pretty good idea of how it’d went down.

“You’re not really giving me a lot of hope here.”  Siri’s quiet retort drew him back to the present.

Chuckling humorlessly, Qrow sighed heavily.  “And that’s why I quit teaching. I suck at motivational crap.  Still, I haven’t asked, figuring you’d explain it at some point, but I guess now’s a good as time as any, but just what IS a Dragonborn, Siri?”

“....I only know a few of the legends and what I’ve since learned I can do.”  Qrow nodded, and waved a hand for her to continue. He sat patiently as she shifted in her seat, her elbows resting on her knees as she folded her hands just beneath her chin.  “The Nords have a lot of stories about an ancient Nord hero who could slay dragons, and take their power as their own. The power to Shout, to use their voice to destroy everything in their way, perhaps even shape reality itself, was the dragons’ own that Men learned to harness, although not without decades of training and meditation.  The Dragonborn can use their Voice without any training at all. And while they’re born mortal, a Dragonborn possesses the immortal soul of a dragon, and they’re supposed to be blessed by Akatosh, the Dragon of Time. Whether by blood or his blessing alone, one of the last well known Dragonborns was an Emperor, from which all Emperors were once descended from.”

“So what, that mean-”

“No.  Because the Septim line has not only died out, they were typically either Nord, Imperial, or Redguard in descent.”  Qrow let it go at that, having seen a flash of anger and...something else hidden behind it, something that told him pushing further in that direction would push her away in a hurry.  When she’d calmed, Qrow let his hands fall to the edge of the stone table, and waited for her to go on. “I don’t know how I became the Dragonborn, why I was chosen, I just know I didn’t ask for this!  I only came to Skyrim to get away from the Isles, to put as much distance between that Oblivion cursed place and myself as possible!” Jumping to her feet, Qrow simply watched as Sirille stomped over to the weird looking lab set up she’d called an alchemy station, and swept her hand through the various instruments and beakers, casting it all to the ground in a shower of glass and pieces of pewter that cracked and shattered.  Leaning heavily on the edge of the now empty stone slab, she bowed her head and sighed, her eyes closed as she took in shaky breaths. “I don’t want to go up there. I don’t want this, I don’t...I don’t want to be a hero. I just want to find out who I am, why I’m not...like the Thalmor. And why...why I’m so….different from my own family.”

Qrow didn’t have an immediate response for her since he could relate to the feeling she was talking about, at least to an extent.  Sighing heavily in turn, Qrow looked away from both her and Lydia, who stood off to the side with her arms at her sides. “Trying to find out who you are, huh?  I know a little of what’s that like.” Looking down at his right hand, he held it up at chest level, palm up, with the rings he had on facing down towards the floor.  “Funny story kid, I used to be a bandit.” He didn’t so much as flinch when Lydia tensed, her hand going to the sword at her belt while Siri sucked in a breath through her pursed lips, surprise etched on her golden face.  “Heh, thought that’d get your attention. But you see us bandits had a little problem back in Remnant. When you attack a village, what do you do when a Huntsman shows up to ruin your day? They normally kill tougher things than your whole tribe put together for breakfast so, how do you solve that problem?” He asked them, unbothered by their tense posture as he took another gulp and smirked. “It’s easy really, you become one of them, get the training, get the skills, and in the end you just choose not to hunt Grimm… but huntsman instead. Easy enough, yeah?”

“Except...I was different even back in those days.”  Qrow sighed as he stared down at the flask in his hand once more.  “Me and my twin, Raven, were born into that life, we didn’t know any different way  _ to  _ live.  But even then, I was never happy with what I was, what we were.  All the rest of our tribe knew was to simply take what we wanted, killed who we wanted, and did what we wanted whenever we liked.  I fought just as fiercely as my sis, I protected her without a thought...but when we infiltrated Beacon Academy, things began to change for me.  I saw how life could’ve been, how everyday folk just lived happy, fulfilling lives despite never seeing the dangers beyond their walls.” He scoffed lightly at that. “Made me jealous to be honest, seemed easier to live like them you know? Why run through the wilderness and fight everyday to survive if you could just… settle down?” He let out a mirthless smirk at that, like that had been an option for him.  “But life has a funny habit of throwing curveballs your way. Mine came after getting the attention of two people, in the space of twenty four hours. Professor Ozpin, the headmaster at Beacon, and Summer Rose….my team leader during our days at Beacon.”

“Old man Oz...let’s just say he knew me and Raven were different, he knew what we were up to, but he let us stay anyway.  We kinda made it obvious though with how easily we cleared his little initiation at the beginning of our first year at Beacon.  From there, teams were assigned, as they always are, with Summer Rose and Taiyang Xiao Long being the other two of our four man team.  Tai, the sunny heart of our group, and Summer….the soul.”

The sorrow in his voice was palpable, and he wasn’t all that shocked when Lydia relaxed, seeing the regret in his eyes as he put his flask back in his vest pocket.   Siri simply watched him like a hawk, her curiosity having been piqued, which had been kinda been the point. “You know, at least until graduation these teams are permanent, so even if we nearly strangled each other in the beginning, we’d either adapt, get killed by the Grimm, or get kicked out.  Obviously we chose to adapt to our new situation, but it wasn’t easy truth be told. Rave and me had a bad case of culture shock if you will, but in time we managed. Despite our four unique ways of approaching things, we quickly proved to be capable far above the norm, which got the attention of Ozpin in another way entirely.  One that would shake up what we all thought we knew about Remnant and the creatures Grimm we typically hunted down.”

“So what happened?”  Lydia asked, newfound if cautious respect in her voice.

Qrow sighed and pushed off of the table’s edge before walking back the way they’d come.  “We got in over our heads…. Or rather after Beacon… we all went our separate ways eventually, still most of us still did missions for the old man.  Important stuff, life changing, hell even world changing stuff, as you can imagine stuff like that isn’t exactly safe...and Summer ended up paying for it with her life one fateful mission against the wrong enemy.”  Pausing at the hallway that had led to the would be looter’s living quarters, Qrow looked over his shoulder at the two women, his face an unreadable mask once more. “My sister’s still a bandit, while I chose to walk away from that life, from her.  I can’t give you any answers to what you’re trying to find, Sirille, especially since I don’t believe in destiny or fate or any of that crap, but what you do from here with all this Dragonborn stuff? That’s up to you.”

“But… what if I don’t want to be Dragonborn? What if I just want to be left alone?”  The forlorn note in her voice, Qrow could only imagine matched whatever expression was likely on her face.  He knew the look, having seen it on Yang’s after she’d lost her arm. The question of just what was the point, who was she now, after losing everything?

As such, Qrow could only shrug in response, since it wasn’t his call either way.  “Then that’s your choice too, you just have to accept that every choice has consequences.  Whether or not you can live with them is up to you as well. I should know, what I’ve done…what I’m willing to do, it forced me to fight against my family, to see horrors you can’t even imagine, to face fear incarnate, but it was my choice to go through with all that.  Raven might think that I’m just a marionette of old man Oz, hell, perhaps she’s right to an extent, but it’s my choice to be one, to follow him. No one else’s, because if I don’t fight against the thing Oz has dedicated his life to ending, then who will?”

Qrow left them to mull over what he’d said as he left the Barrow.  He half expected them to leave by the time he returned as he transformed into his crow shape, with the intent to deliver the Dunmer’s diary to the innkeeper back at Ivarstead.  That, and he needed some air to clear his feathered head anyway after dredging up all of those memories to try and help Sirille deal with whatever existential crisis she was going through.  He wouldn’t have been so quick to leave her alone though, except Lydia was with her. Even if she was vastly more powerful than either of them in some way he didn’t yet understand, he felt safe in leaving Siri in her Housecarl’s care for the time being.  That and he wasn’t going  _ that  _ far, a distance that was cut even more thanks to his current form.

Entering the inn barely five minutes later, Qrow slammed the book down in front of Wilhelm and his assistant before explaining what they’d found.  In return, he was given a strange, metallic claw that looked like it’d fit the weird lock on the giant stone door they’d found. “Thanks.” Qrow grunted as he pocketed the claw.

“Don’t come back.”  Wilhelm grumbled and jerked his head towards the still bloody floor for emphasis.

“Don’t worry, I hadn’t planned on it, pal.” Qrow shot back without turning around.  Just as he was closing the door behind him, he heard the shattering of glass and Wilhelm’s colorful cursing.  Not bothering to turn around, he muttered a quick apology, shut the door and flew off again.

To be a bird was… liberating, to look down onto the land below him was something he had loved doing for as long as he could remember.  He’d always prefered elevated terrain as well as airships in general, so the ability to turn into a bird was a blessing to him. Although he had worked hard to earn it in the first place… and Oz had made him swear not to use it to peek on students or Glynda.  He’d been tempted, but he’d kept his word to the best of his ability, but being a spy in enemy territory had a tendency to put him in...awkward situations at times.

Shaking those more...entertaining memories away, Qrow soon landed on the edge of the Barrow without breaking stride just as he saw Sirille and Lydia coming out to meet him.  “I...needed a bit of air.” Was all the explanation she gave, which suited Qrow fine as he jumped down to their level. Tossing the claw over to her, Siri looked it over and sighed, resignation etched onto her face.  “My choice huh?”

“Yep.”  Qrow replied as she turned the strange claw over and over.

“....I don’t want to be the Dragonborn, but...I can’t just ignore what’s going on either.”  She said eventually, her voice sounding ever so slightly stronger to the veteran Huntsman’s ears.

“So, that’s your choice, huh?” When she only nodded in reply he grinned. “Good, just don’t come complaining about how you were forced to do this if it ends up going south.”

“...I understand why you quit being a teacher.”  The tiniest flicker of a smile was reward enough in Qrow’s mind as he gave a little half smirk in response.  With a firm nod of her head, Siri put the claw away for the time being before leading the way back to that door they’d found.  Following after her and Lydia, Qrow didn’t say a word as they eventually stopped, with Siri pulling out the claw. “Thank the Nine the passcode’s on the claw itself.”  She muttered as she shifted three concentric rings around the upper edge of the door itself before she set the claw’s fingertips into the three holes embedded in the center of the door’s lock.  A series of mechanical clicks and ancient stone grinding together was followed by the door sliding down into a hole in the floor at its base. Blowing out a breath, Sirille took a step forward, and as braziers flared to life in the distance of the large chamber that lay beyond, Qrow happened to look down at her shadow.

For just a moment, he thought he saw giant, leathery wings sprout from her shadowed back as the flickering flames beyond danced to and fro.  Blinking in dumbfounded surprise, her shadow had returned to normal, as if nothing had been amiss in the first place. Shaking his head, he dismissed it as a trick of the light, even as a small part of his mind said he knew better….

\------------

**Unknown location**

Dim light penetrated her closed eyelids as she fell forward with a heavy thud.  She barely felt it, her lungs greedily sucking in the fresh air despite the fact that she had no need for it.  Her nostrils flared at the smell of blood in the air, her throat beginning to itch and then burn as the thirst returned to her waking senses a thousand times worse than she had ever experienced it before. Slowly she opened her eyes as she put her palms against the cool weathered stone beneath her, and began to stand up unsteadily.  She felt weak, weaker than she had any right to be. She was a Daughter of Coldharbour after all, so far above the mortal races of Tamriel that they couldn’t even begin to imagine her capabilities, and yet she felt weaker than a newborn.

Her gaze wandered through the chamber she had seen only once, but since it’d been the last thing she’d seen, it was the freshest thing in her memory before the lid of her coffin had settled into place.  It looked vastly different than what she remembered of it. It looked… ancient, and a shiver ran down her spine. “How long have I been here?” She whispered, her dry and aching throat not allowing her to speak louder.  Her gaze lowered, and she stared at the centre of the chamber, where the altar to release her had been placed. Atop of it lay Lokir, one of her father's followers, his face still held the expression of indigent surprise and anger as the spike which had drawn his blood slowly retracted and he began to slowly dissolve in the gentle breeze that flowed through the cavern’s distant exit.  Yet whoever had let her out apparently hadn’t thought to stick around, because she could see no trace of them. Still, there was no sense in sticking around.

Whoever had killed Lokir, a formidable achievement in and of itself, could still be around, and who knew what they wanted.  Perhaps it had been a band of mortal vampire hunters? While far weaker than her kind, they had studied their strengths and weaknesses with terrifying zeal, and created weapons and spells whose sole purpose was to kill and damage her kind.  Even at full health, they weren’t to be underestimated, and in her weakened state a true hunter would be able to kill her on his own with very little trouble. However, there was still a chance, no matter how much time passed. She was still somewhat familiar with this cave, tomb really, and she could leave it through a hidden entrance.  So instead of walking towards the stone bridge from which Lokir must have come from she walked in the opposite direction, where the chiseled stone faded and was replaced with naturally worn down rock and dirt.

It didn’t take her long to reach a huge circular arena, with a balcony looking down into a pit where zombies and bound skeletons wandered about.  Or at least, there should’ve been, except all of them had been...smashed apart. Whoever was making his way through this cave used blunt force, probably a huge mace she figured, and the image of a hulking Orc with a warhammer running towards her flashing through her mind before she shook it of and continued on.  Her trepidation grew when she came into what seemed to be a nest of giant spiders. They must’ve come here during her slumber, only for all of them to lie around lifelessly, their bodies broken like twigs. To make it more bizarre, spidercracks marked the walls from impacts.  _ What kind of mortal possessed such strength? _ , she wondered.

She had to get out of here she decided, but stuck to the shadows.  It was better for her to try and stay hidden rather than hurry and walk into a trap.  Once she reached an ancient altar from the time where mortals were still worshipping the dragons, she found the first sign of life.  A whimpering thrall was rocking back and forth, piles of ash all around him and what looked like… spit on his cheek. Perhaps some kind of wild beast or perhaps even a lycanthrope?  Why leave him alive then? It was no secret to her that werewolves loathed vampires, and their thralls, their creations, so it was strange to find a survivor in all the carnage.

“Leave me, please leave me and the masters.” The man continued to whimper even as she approached him.

“What happened here?” She asked him, her throat feeling like it was being torn open with the loudly spoken words.

“ _ Leave me beast! _ ” The man screamed hysterically, and hid his face behind his hands.  He continued to mumble incomprehensible words and curses, all but oblivious to her.  Deciding that there was no knowledge to be gained from him, nor that she could save him, she pulled him towards her in a gentle embrace.

“Hush… sleep, it’s only a bad dream.”  She whispered, supernatural persuasion thick in her voice, and the mortal obeyed despite having never been her thrall.  Glad that her powers worked still, Serana only felt a moment of guilt as she sunk her fangs into the now comatose man’s neck.  After who knew how long she’d been asleep in that coffin, that first taste of blood harkened back to the first time she’d ever fed as new life and strength flowed into her mouth with every beat of the man’s heart.  A heartbeat she could hear in her mind as much as her ears as it slowed, and slowed, and eventually stopped as she drank him dry of all she could, pulling away with a shuddering moan. Letting him gently down to the ground, she licked her damp lips dry before pulling a piece of the man’s tattered shirt away to wipe up whatever had splattered across her face and chest.  Casting it aside, she pulled the hood of her vampire’s garb up to conceal her face, her glowing orange eyes brightening as the man’s blood did what nothing else could. It invigorated her, returned strength to limbs that hadn’t seen use in decades, perhaps longer, and while there was a foul aftertaste from feeding off of someone else’s pet thrall, she hadn’t noticed at the time with how thirsty she’d been.

Still… as new strength coursed through her veins, and the aching of her throat lessened, she couldn't help but notice that even though her weakness waned, it was still there.  How long had she slumbered to have such a need for blood? How long had she laid still as the world changed, and her strength was slowly sapped from her by time itself? These questions would have to wait for now, as there was something else that occupied her thoughts.    


Taking an experimental sniff of the mostly still air, Serana noticed there was a scent in the air that was...odd to her nose as she neared where she knew the exit to reside.  Making her way ever upward, she found more signs of her unknown benefactor’s rampage through her father’s men, with more piles of ash and one unlucky thrall having been pushed into a still blazing brazier near the entrance, where a heavy deluge was waiting to greet her.  “I couldn’t have been woken up on a sunny day.” She grumbled, although the sun still had an effect even on her.

Her eyes took in the cold snow before her as she slowly moved from the entrance.  There was no sign of the attacker, so she knelt down and tried to see whether or not she would be able to find a trail. She found one, but it made no sense because she saw… small paw prints in the fading snow.  The beast, whatever it was, was so small that its belly had touched the taller banks of snow. There was no way that such a tiny creature could have been responsible for the slaughter of all the creatures, thralls, and vampires within the cave.  Even as she studied the track however, she noticed that they circled back round, meaning that the beast was still here.

She stumbled a step forward when something gently bumped into her backside.  Spinning around, her hand going for the curved, elven dagger on her belt, she paused and gaped openly when she laid eyes on her….savior? Attacker?  She honestly didn’t know what to call it, as a ball of fur and a little stub of a tail wiggled excitedly to and fro in front of her. “Woof!”

“Uh….huh.”  Was her less than intelligible response as the dog sat on its haunches and raised its head, revealing a dull red collar with a single, circular tag attached to it, with one side emblazoned with a dark brown bone.  Gingerly taking the golden emblem in hand, she read the name emblazoned on the other side. “Zwei? Doesn’t sound Nordic, and what is this even made of?”

“Woof!”

“Right you are, how silly of me.”  She muttered to herself and exhaled softly, wondering why she even bothered to talk to the dog.  Even if it had done the impossible why should she stay near it? It nudged her hand softly and panted happily as it began to lick her cold hand. “Eww… stop it.”

Far from stopping, the tiny creature actually began to work its way up towards her face and when she stood up in a lightning fast motion to prevent it from doing, so it looked at her with such a heartbreaking expression that she felt like a monster.  Well...more so than she actually was, so she knelt and sighed before staring into the animal’s eyes. “I guess I can’t just leave you out here can I? You did break my mother’s seal, and let me out no less.” The dog yipped, jumped up, and licked her across one cheek before bounding away before she could recover.  “Blegh. Thanks.” Serana grumbled, even as she wondered if Cu Sith would eat Zwei alive when she got home, assuming her father had kept her death hound in one piece this whole time.

Eying the clouds above her as rain continued to drown the land, she made her towards her home with nothing but a tiny dog by her side, a tiny dog that may or may not have freed her and done impossible things, or more likely was somehow connected to the person who had.  Regardless of that, Zwei wasn’t hostile, and was actually rather affectionate towards her, which was rare for animals who were still alive, to say the least and she didn’t mind its company. Her throat still burnt in thirst for more blood however, her baser instincts telling her to suck the little beast dry, but her will overruled such simplistic desires.  She was strong enough to travel, and she was loath to kill the animal for something she could get without casting its life asde. Still, it was probably better to err on the side of caution, especially since her father wouldn’t feel anything but contempt for the dog. As such, Serana only felt a moment of guilt as she took off, leaving Zwei behind to fend for himself.  Better that than leading him to be butchered by Harkon and his court, assuming Lokir had been sent by her father at least.

She might’ve been far from her best, but her speed was still great enough that she knew that the dog, whose confused bark echoed behind her, had no hope of catching up.  She ran with swift as a horse, no faster, and jumped into the air, soaring between trees almost reaching their top and crashed into the ground with enough force to shatter wooden shields, causing a small crater and cracks to appear whenever she struck the earth.  She continued to do so for a good five minutes, until she came to a stop on top of a small hill to reorient herself. All was still around her, all except for the happy panting right beside her she had started to grow used to. Slowly, fearing she would lose her sanity if she moved too fast, she turned and stared at the happily panting face of Zwei, who gently nudged her left leg and began jumping up and down around her as if prompting her to continue their little race. “How in Oblivion-?” She stopped herself, her mind unable to accept the conclusion.  Slowly, she knelt down and put a hand on top of Zwei’s head. The fur was soft, warm, fluffy, and most of all, real, too real for a hallucination, which also dispelled the notion that he was some Daedric doppelganger. Furthermore she could hear its calm heartbeat and feel the blood flowing through its veins, it was almost as if the race hadn’t even winded the tiny dog.

He leaned into her touch, nudging her to continue petting him, apparently unaware of just how extraordinary he was.  “The world has changed greatly since my slumber began.” She settled on saying, seeing no other explanation for such an occurrence.  The growl of a troll just over the hill pulled her away from the dog at her feet, but even as she turned, the sound of her dagger’s edge dragging across its sheath as it filled her hand, Zwei bounded ahead at full speed.  “Wait! You can’t-!” And then the most peculiar thing happened. As it turned out, not only  _ could  _ Zwei, he also  _ did _ . He crashed into the troll’s chest like a furry arrow and threw back the monster like a ragdoll, sending it crashing against a nearby pile of rocks with bone crushing force as blood sprayed away from the impact zone.  The troll fell still, as if it’d been smashed by a giant’s club. Eying the fresh corpse for a few more moments, Zwei sniffed twice, and then turned to face her once again, panting happily once more.

“What happened while I was gone?” She wondered, were her parents even still alive? Did vampires even exist any longer? Did mortals? Or was Zwei an example of the new dominant species of Tamriel? Armed with such power, who could have withstood an entire race of such beings?  Yet he seemed friendly, and the idea, despite the proof, seemed ludicrous the more she thought about it. Shaking her head, she knelt and didn’t think twice about holding her hand out to the adorable murder beast, who happily bounded over to her. “Well, since you can keep up, I guess we’re stuck together, huh boy?”  Zwei barked and licked her fingertips before proceeding to chase his own tail, barking happily at her all the while. Laughing at his boundless energy, Serana could only smile as she started off once more. “Guess it’s time to meet the family.”

\-------------------

**End Notes** :   **_Nomad-117:_ ** _ Well… That happened, a bit more action in this chapter I guess, and our mysterious fourth player is revealed! Well… kinda if you can call that adorable little fur ball mysterious player but whatever, the important thing is Zwei is out there and having his own adventure with his new vampire sidekick. _

**_Vergil1989:_ ** _  And yes, Serena is HIS sidekick, rather than the other way around lol.  But when my friend here proposed the idea to me a couple weeks ago, I’ll admit, I giggled like a madman, but the problem was timing.  When were we supposed to reveal the fact Zwei was having a good time, murdering vampires, their thralls, and any of the local guardians left by her mother to boot.  Basically, Zwei is an adorable murder beast to who we all owe our allegiance to lest he bathe in our bloody entrails. Lol but seriously, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, introducing our out of time vampire princess to the concept of animals with Aura, although it’ll be awhile before Zwei finds his way to Tai or any of the others.  Enjoy the ride in the meanwhile, although I will say Taiyang’s part of this was difficult. At first I had Sybille a little too cheery and quick to admit the fact she had considered munching on him if he’d proven to be like so many other criminals she’d seen in Castle Dour’s dungeons, with Tai acting like none of the horrors in that cave had outwardly affected him despite his having super imposed Ruby and Yang’s face over that bandit’s.  So with some much needed help from Nomad, we rewrote the fight to account for what he’d actually feel once it was over, as well as Sybille’s understandable paranoia regarding her...condition and his having figured it out as he had. Not that she made it difficult given the circumstances and the rage she displayed throughout the fight. _

**_Nomad-117:_ ** _ Also for anyone wondering, yes, we kinda have Qrow taking on the mentor role for our Dragonborn here. Or at least someone who offers her advice from time to time.  Given that he led an… let’s call it an interesting and eventful life, he would know a lot about difficult decisions, expectations, what it’s like to lose someone, to kill, etc. and while he can’t prepare her for everything, he can give her a few pointers that will ultimately help her in the long run, even if only mentally. _

**_Vergil1989:_ ** _  Indeed, and what’s a hero anyway?  Tiber Septim was considered a hero to the people he led against the first Aldmeri Dominion back in his day, yet the Altmer consider him a genocidal madman.  Sirille doesn’t know what she’ll become, what awaits her, but she has a good enough idea with what little she DOES know, to be aware that her life isn’t going to get any simpler, assuming she lives that long.  And there are secrets yet to be revealed about her nature, about her, that will further test her fledgling confidence in her chosen path. That and I wanted to make it clear that she ISN’T interested in being the Dragonborn, unlike EVERY OTHER STORY I’ve ever seen written in Skyrim’s setting, crossover or not.  Lol but that aside, we hope you’ve enjoyed guys and gals. Take care everyone! _


	5. Commonality

**Opening Notes:** **Vergil1989** :  There’s a problem with Oblivion and Skyrim both, probably with the rest of the games although I haven’t played them, but that’s a lack of kids of various ages.  It’s either ten or twelve year olds or whatever, or they’re adult sized across the board. There’s no babies, no five years old, or teenagers, or whatever, it’s simply ten year olds, or adults.  That is just bizarre if you think about it. Oh I get that there’s a literal TON of NPCs and quest lines and all that, but come on! How hard is it to give us a little variety? And don’t even get me started with the distinct lack of Argonian, Khajiit, or Mer kids.  I only bring it up, because we had the idea that the College of Winterhold should have kids running around its halls, which means the place is significantly bigger to accommodate for the increased size in class attendance and such. It’ll hardly be the only place that we plan to add a more ‘realistic’ feel, but it’s relevant now with where Raven and Tai currently are.  Anyway, enjoy guys and gals.

 

**Chapter 4**

**Commonality**

\----------

**Winterhold**

**The College**

A slightly restless night’s sleep saw Raven waking up the following morning, tired, but in a somewhat better mood as a whole despite her current situation.  With the sun barely above the horizon, or so her internal clock said despite her having only been on Nirn for less than twenty four hours, she had hours of free time to fill until her first scheduled class, with no idea on how to fill them.  The sound of her stomach grumbling decided things for her though.

With a half hearted, near silent grumble, Raven looked towards the simple wooden dresser, a few books and candles still covering its surface from whoever had occupied this room were the only remnants of their passing, and saw Mirabelle had indeed left a set of robes on the table that was on the other side of the room.  Rolling her red eyes at the less than subtle insinuation, she ignored the robes and went for the armor stand, where her red and black armor now resided. As before, her sword resided by the bed, sheathed in its Dust infusing scabbard.

Before she put her hand on it though, Raven paused, her fingers stopping just shy of the hilt that she knew about as well as she knew herself.  Yesterday hadn’t offered a lot of chance to think as she’d done her best to take in her new surroundings, putting names to faces, and learning what she could about the College itself.  Mira’s ten lien tour had been revealing, sure, but Raven had always preferred to get to know a locale without a magically armed escort, at least in this case. Now that the excitement had worn off and she’d had time to actually just stop, she couldn’t help but wonder why she was sticking around.  Why was she not out there searching for Tai, assuming he was even here of course?

“Because you’re a coward.”  Spinning on her heel, Raven stopped and stared at Yang’s face, a face that was so much like hers.  She even wore her hair the same way, but it was the simple fact she was  _ here  _ that had the bandit leader’s undivided attention as Yang took a step forward, contempt clear in her eyes.  “You abandoned me the day I was born, what’s a few more days in this place?”

Taking a step forward herself, Raven glared into her daughter’s face, determined to face Yang’s accusations head on.  “I don’t know if he’s h-”

“Of course you do!  You know everything, remember?!”  Raven blinked as Yang threw her hands out to either side, her eyes changing from purple to a blood red in the space of a blink.  “You certainly seemed proud of how much you knew about me and my Team when you couldn’t even bother to be a part of my life! Dad’s here, because he was right next to you when your Semblance went nuts, and you know it.  You just don’t want to admit it because then you’d have to own up to the fact you’re leaving him out there, alone,  _ again _ , except now you’re not even on Remnant!”  Flames exploded around Yang as her hands clenched up at her sides, and what light had been filling the simple bedroom from a number of magical torches and the window disappeared, leaving Yang as the only light source.  But where before her Semblance had burned bright as a star, now it burned with a cold, chilling blue light, filled with malevolent intent as black veins began to spread across her daughter’s face and remaining arm. “To think I wanted to find you.  You’re pathetic!”

“Yang-”  Stumbling back a step, Raven could scarcely believe her eyes at what was happening to her daughter.

“Go fly off to Salem!  You were happy to throw in with her before, might as well join her and get it over with.  She might even forgive you killing Cinder if you bring Qrow’s head on a platter, right next to mine and dad’s.  Anything to survive right?!” Towering over her now, Yang’s face turned bone white as the black, shadowy veins reached her already red eyes, turning them a glowing, burning parody of themselves as claws jutted from her fingertips.  Growling out every word, Raven could only stumble back, her blade and her armor having vanished as she stared helplessly at her corrupted daughter. “The weak die. The strong live. Take a guess which you are?!” Raven put an arm uselessly in front of her face as Yang lunged at her, clawed fist heading for her face like a meteor dropping from orbit.

“No!”  Sitting bolt upright in bed, Raven put her head in her hands as if to try and press the nightmare right from her temples as she tried to get her racing heart out of her throat where it felt determined to remain.  Panting rapidly as a cold sweat covered her from the neck down, she groaned weakly as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Hugging herself and shivering from much more than the cold that practically gave Winterhold its name, Raven slowly looked towards the open door, and breathed a little easier when she saw no one was there.

Letting her arms fall to her sides, her hands gripped the edge of the bed as she sighed and closed her eyes.   _ A vision, or my mind playing a tune I already know the steps to? _  Dismissing her initial thought since it sure as Hell hadn’t felt like one of her portents of someone’s impending death, Raven decided it was merely her reawakened conscience supplying an ample helping of guilt to the already steaming pile Yang’s poignant barbs had left behind long after their fated meeting at Haven.  Contrary to popular belief, she actually did care about her family, but her rationale had been the same for years. It’d been better this way, since life with her tribe was no life for a newborn, and for the longest time, that’d been enough. Now though? Now it wasn’t so easy to rationalize away since she could’ve just gone back at any time.  She could have disbanded her tribe, and actually did her job of holding Tai together instead of letting him die not so dissimilarly to how Yang had when she’d lost her arm. Raven had been telling the truth when she’d told Tai she hadn’t been able to handle Summer’s death. She just hadn’t told him the whole truth.

Soft footsteps stopped just outside her door, just as Raven caught sight of a dark skinned, elven head peeking around the frame only to shyly pull back when she realized she’d been discovered.  Focusing on the woman gave Raven something to distract her racing heart and mind as she stood and went for her armor despite her distinct lack of modesty. She rolled her eyes though when Brelyna gave a soft, embarrassed ‘eep’ upon realizing Raven had chosen to sleep in the nude, but before she could run off, Raven called out to her.  “We’re both women, even if you aren’t human. From what I’ve seen, you aren’t any different from me aside from your skin color.”

“I-I just wasn’t exp-...this isn’t something I’m familiar with!”  Brelyna screeched before she slapped her hands over her mouth. Raven didn’t pause as she casually donned her armor, but she did allow herself a little smile of silent relief when she heard the dark elf hesitantly step properly into her room.  The soft swish of fabric said she’d turned her back on Raven, but it was enough she’d stuck around. “I...heard you call out.”

She paused in pulling her overshirt of hardened leather and metallic plates, having not realized she’d not been quiet.  Shaking it off, Raven simply said, “And?”

“And...I was concerned.”  Brelyna stated, a hint of annoyance coloring her tone.

“Why?  We don’t know each other.”  Raven understood that people actually cared about other people without needing a reason, but she genuinely wanted to know why someone she’d only just met was going out of their way to talk to  _ her _ , especially since she’d seen Brelyna avoid almost everyone around her yesterday.  She was shy, introverted, yet here she was, talking to her.

So Raven was slightly taken aback when Brelyna spun as she started to work her leggings up along with what passed for her underwear, her eyes an almost physical weight on her now armored back.  “Your first act, once you regained consciousness, was to give the resident, arrogant Khajiit a lesson in humility. You have a bad dream, and the first thing you do is try to push away an offer of aid.  You’re as strange as you are conflicting. I...might not know you, but you’re clearly in a bad place. You’re far from home, you know nothing of Nirn, and yet you’re refusing a friend when you could use one.”

“I’m not-”  Raven turned, but bit back whatever vicious remark she’d been about to throw out.  Instead she blew out a breath through her nose, and forced her face to relax, to lose her seemingly perpetual ‘resting bitch face’, as her brother had jokingly called her normal expression,  _ once _ .  “You’re not wrong.”  She admitted as she sat back down on the edge of her new bed.  She waited for Brelyna to sit down in one of the only chairs that were available, where Mira had indeed left robes for her to put on in a less than subtle attempt to make her conform to College tradition.  “It’s not that I don’t appreciate what you’re trying to do, Brelyna.” It was both a question and a statement, but the girl’s nod was answer enough for Raven to continue, glad she’d gotten her name right the first time.  “...but I’m not here for friends, and I’m not a good person.”

“Neither are the Dunmeri.”  She countered softly, which immediately had Raven’s attention as she perked up slightly.  “Don’t get me wrong, we’re not evil, not really, but we’ve earned our ashen skin and red eyes through our own hand hundreds of years ago.”

“A curse?”  It wasn’t a foreign concept to the Spring Maiden, but to see actual proof of a curse was another thing entirely, not counting Ozpin’s immortality anyway.  Crossing her arms over her chest, Raven leaned back to better take in the dark elf across from her. Her near jet black hair was split down the middle, with each side done up in small buns on the back of her angular if slightly sunken cheeked face.  A gold, lapis lazuli embedded tiara rested upon her brow, and her robes were a simple if distinctive dark blue with a gray under coat of sorts, lined with what she assumed to be dark orange fox fur. It only took a moment, but once she was done, Raven’s eyes flicked back to Brelyna’s face before she said, “Explain.”

“I doubt anyone knows the whole story anymore, between the fact we’ve lost our most densely populated cities in a single cataclysmic event when Red Mountain exploded, and the fact our former slaves, the Argonians, revolted against us not long after, but the curse has its origins at a much earlier date in our history.”  Raising an eyebrow at what Brelyna had said thus far, Raven took a moment to process it all before minutely nodding her head. It was all Brelyna got, but it was enough to get her point across. “To put a very long and intricate story short, we...lost our way, we turned our back on one of our patron gods, the Daedric Prince, Azura, and she responded accordingly.”  Needlessly pointing at her own face, Raven nodded again, having followed thus far. “Depending on who you ask, we were either deceived by the False Tribunal, a group of three mortal gods who only rose to prominence when they got their hands on an incredibly powerful artifact called the Heart of Lorkhan, which had been created by an incredibly evil individual, or we willingly followed a truly divine trifecta of beings, instead of our ‘false goddess’ Azura and the other Daedric Princes we’ve long since returned to worshipping.”

While she didn’t understand just what a Daedric Prince  _ was _ , the importance Brelyna put on the title, let alone this Azura, was very much audible to her ears.  Taking another moment to mull the information over, all of which she planned to look into the first chance she had, Raven asked, “And which side do you favor?”

“That we were blinded by our own arrogance and sense of superiority, but while they were inherently flawed, the Tribunal were there for us in a way Azura had never been, or has been since.  Gods who live among us, instead of keeping to a separate plane of reality? I can see the appeal, even if I don’t agree with it, but who’s to say what really happened in those days?” Brelyna fell silent then, before Raven noticed her right hand had curled around her knee in a tight, near bloodless grip that turned her ashen gray skin that much darker.  “Of course, some Dunmeri, especially among the five Great Houses, are still just as arrogant now as they were then.”

“And why do I get the feeling you have personal experience with said arrogance?”  Raven asked as she crossed one leg over her knee, her arms now crossed loosely across her stomach.

“Tsk...yes, I’m a part of the Great House of Maryon, I come from a long line of powerful Telvanni mages, and no, I don’t want to talk about it.”  The literal flare to her glowing red eyes was vaguely reminiscent of her own when she used her Maiden powers, but Raven let it go as Brelyna sighed heavily.  But just when she thought the dark elf wouldn’t speak further on the topic, Brelyna continued, her voice losing the hard edge that had been there only moments ago.  “I came out here to get away from that life.”

“You seek to earn a name for yourself outside of your family lineage?”  Intrigued despite it being a question, Raven made a thoughtful hum as she uncrossed her legs and stood when her stomach rumbled its protest at being ignored.  That part of her nightmare at least hadn’t been purely in her mind. On some unspoken signal, Brelyna stood at the same time she did, and led the way to where Raven vaguely remembered the mess hall to be.  “I never really had much of a family to speak of outside of my fool of a twin brother, Qrow, so in that regard we have nothing in common.”

“I have too many relatives and siblings to keep track of, but I couldn’t have been more alone among so many pretentious sycophants seeking our favor.  Not to mention the fact I was constantly pressured and given praise I hadn’t earned on my own merits.” That made Raven pause, if only for a moment as Brelyna kept going for several steps before realizing she wasn’t at her side.  Loneliness she understood, although she took great strides to disguise that part of herself from everyone, save perhaps for Taiyang. And as if to prove he wasn’t the only one who could read her like an unlocked Scroll, Brelyna’s eyes dimmed as she took in Raven’s forlorn expression that was just as quick to return to her perpetual scowl.  “You keep an intimidating mask on your hip, yet I can’t help but wonder which is the real mask.”

Raven kept her face impassive even as she internally flinched, because the other person who had so effortlessly seen through every pretense had been her twin brother. Qrow, who was always willing to play the part of the fool when he was anything but.  He might have chosen to follow Ozpin on his misguided quest to destroy Salem, but that didn’t bereft him of any of his many talents. Taiyang was the only other person who’d so easily seen through her, albeit in his own fashion.

So to have met a near complete stranger who proved just as capable was….unnerving, even as a part of her wanted to connect to someone in this world.  Someone who would be able to call her out on her stereotypical bullshit and not flinch away when she inevitably lashed out. But such thoughts were a weakness, ones she wouldn’t entertain, especially with a slip of a girl that was as different from her as Raven was from everyone else.  At least...that’s what she wanted to do, but Raven only looked away when none of her usual rebuttals would come to her lips. “I’ve wondered that myself at times.” She whispered instead.

“And thus the mask begins to slip away.”  Brelyna murmured as a half dozen kids, their cheers heralding their arrival long before they came running past, astonishment clear in her soft voice as she slowly looked away.  “If only more people back home could do the same as you, Raven.”

Raven only nodded, too lost in her thoughts to do more.  It didn’t help that the children’s cheers, once they echoed back down the hall, sounded vaguely similar to Grimm screeches and growls, to Yang’s as she jumped at her...

\---------------

**Solitude**

**The Blue Palace**

Taiyang hadn’t slept the greatest, not after facing those creatures, of sorting through their victims in their little cave as he and Sybille had yesterday afternoon.  It had been a morbid, grim task that had left a very bad taste in his mouth even as his stomach flipped from the sights, smells, and the occasional sounds as those bodies that had been there the longest audibly squished as they were peeled off of whatever hard surface they’d been left on to simply rot away.  He couldn’t jump into that pond they’d passed fast enough once they’d gotten everyone out, and collected what valuables they could from both the vampires and their victims. The former had gone into their pockets and packs, while the latter they’d taken to help bring a measure of closure to those that were left.

Sybille had thankfully saw to the latter task on her own, leaving Taiyang to decompress after it was all said and done.  That hadn’t stopped her from poking her head into the room he’d been temporarily given within the Palace’s walls later that evening, a tray heavily laden with fresh food right from the kitchen in her arms which she’d left on the nightstand.  Despite everything he’d gone through, his appetite hadn’t suffered, because he’d left nothing behind save the tray and the simple utensils for a passing maid to collect not long after. He’d dealt with similar work before during his time as a Huntsmen.  That didn’t mean he had ever grown used to such things, of having to deal with the dead and the devastation often left behind by the Grimm, but he knew the risks and accepted them.

Still, that didn’t stop him from staring at the cold, stone floor, a heavy, richly embroidered rug in the center of the room the only real decoration save for the heavy looking curtains over the large window which faced the door, his mind adrift as he tried to come up with anything resembling a plan.  Because as welcoming as the room was, he couldn’t help but feel trapped in it. After his latest mission, if it could even be called that, he needed to clear his head, and on Patch he usually did so by wandering outside of his own home. With that in mind, he figured he might as well use his desire for fresh air to explore the city.  Putting a hand to the heavy coin purse he’d been given per Sybille’s request, and Elisif’s insistence for his aid, Taiyang sighed but smiled despite feeling mildly claustrophobic, and walked out to the hall.

To go with his budding fame at having helped destroy a nest of vampires in their lair, a few of the guards he passed that morning were much warmer to his presence than they’d been just a day ago as they nodded and offered kind greetings.  Even one of Elisif’s personal bodyguards as they passed each other in one of the cramped hallways stopped and nodded his head in silent respect before moving on. Tai shrugged it off since it hadn’t been that big of a deal in his opinion, but the change of attitude was welcome if nothing else.

“Ah, Sir Xiao-long, already seeking your next adventure I presume?” General Tulius asked from one of the narrow corridors as the man himself stepped into view.  As expected of a man of Tullius’s rank, his armor was what stood out the most, with the Imperial emblem emblazoned in gold standing out prominently across his chest.  The man himself was just as impressive, in a simple, functional kind of sense. His full head of snow gray hair was cut short, well above his ears, and his dark, beaten bronze eyes were taking in their surroundings, and him, with keen interest despite seemingly being at ease.  Despite clearly being Tai’s senior by twenty years, easy, as judging by the wrinkles and crow’s feet set into his strong jawed, firmly round face, Tullius still moved as if he were much younger than he appeared. “I must say, had it been anyone but Sybille, I would’ve doubted the truth of their words, but in this case… I suppose I should congratulate you on a successful vampire hunt.  Especially as you’re… unfamiliar with such beings, no?”

Remembering how the man hadn’t been so quick to warm up to him the other night, and his continued reluctance to believe him even after Tai had flashed his Aura, he was a little more frosty than he’d normally be as his eyes narrowed ever so slightly.  “I might be unfamiliar with vampires, but I’ve seen enough evil in the world to recognize it. I’ll admit, those things were...a little more than even I’m used to.” It was the right thing to say as Tullius sighed but nodded in all too clear understanding, the hard edges to his wrinkled face softening in the same moment.

“On that I can relate.  The cost of fighting in as many wars as I have, you get used to seeing enemies in everyone you don’t know.”  It was probably the closest to an apology he’d likely get, but it was enough.

“I suppose that’s an understandable…affliction.” Tai allowed politely, before he sent a shrewd glance towards the General. “And I guess that a civil war isn't exactly helping things.”  It was all anyone in the castle would talk about, so it hadn’t taken much to learn what was going on out there.

“No it isn’t, especially since we had Ulfric Stormcloak and his top lieutenants imprisoned in Helgen, only for a dragon to tear through the fortress before his head could fall from his shoulders.”  Tullius growled before just as quickly calming. Starting down the hall, towards where Tai remembered the front gates to the castle to be, he followed after the heavily armored General without a word.  “Now I have reports of an increasing number of dragon attacks all over Skyrim, and what intelligence I have suggests they’re just as happy to attack the Stormcloaks as they are my Imperials, when they aren’t razing villages and burning down cities.  As if that isn’t enough, bandits are becoming increasingly commonplace, and the remnants of the Forsworn are gathering their numbers for something down in the Reach.”

“Maybe it’d be best to set your differences with the Stormcloaks aside for the time being, and focus on the threat these dragons represent?  According to your own intelligence, they’re a threat to everyone, and as soldiers, or Huntsmen in my case, we have a duty to protect the people.”  Tai countered, not unkindly. A house divided couldn’t stand after all. The four Kingdoms, before Beacon fell to Salem’s minions, had understood that.

“You aren’t wrong, but Ulfric’s a threat I can understand.  Not only that, but he’s the Legion’s mess in a way, since we all but sent him out here to clear up a rebellion led by the Forsworn before he turned around and declared independence against the rest of the Empire.  The nobles of the Reach, Markarth specifically, hired him, true, but the point still stands.” Tullius argued, but upon seeing the frown on Taiyang’s face, was quick to add, “I’m not blind to what you’re suggesting, and I’d even be willing to entertain the possibility, but as things stand now, I doubt there’d be any talk of peace that wouldn’t end in bloodshed on either side.  We’d need someone much more powerful than any of us to do what you’re proposing.” That he was even entertaining it at all hinted to just how bad things were out there.

While it left Tai a little flat footed, he couldn’t help but throw out a half hearted joke by saying, “I suppose a ceasefire is out of the question?”

“If I could trust Ulfric to keep his word, I wouldn't hesitate to offer the very same thing, but he’s betrayed the Empire once already, and killed the High King with the power of the Voice.  How can we trust even a single word of such a man? His Nordic honor nonsense or whatever they call it notwithstanding, you’d be a fool to take anything he says seriously, should you ever meet him face to face.”  Blinking at Tullius’s ignorance to the local customs of the people he was trying to reunify by force, the man replied simply, having read his surprise on his face, “I have a war to win, I don’t have the time to worry about stepping on any toes.  I’d rather march my men back home so they can be with their families, but when the Emperor and his council demands a response to high treason, they send people like me to get the job done. And if I piss off the locals, well, that’s a small price to pay for seeing this war ended, especially with a much bigger problem a lot closer to home to worry about.”

For someone who had been born and raised in a mostly unified world, where Grimm preyed on the unprepared and defenseless all the time, regardless of who they were or where they’d come from, it was a little mind boggling that a man like Tullius would willingly keep himself handicapped in such a way as to not even know the people he was trying to protect, albeit in a heavy handed fashion.  Still, Taiyang could see it from his side as well, even if he didn’t outright agree with him. “I’ll agree that it sounds like a pretty complicated situation, but peace is never a bad thing to work towards. Trust is never a bad thing, and giving someone a chance, can sometimes work out better than you think.”

Standing just in front of the doors that led outside, Tullius stopped, put his hand against the right side, and glanced over his shoulder at Taiyang.  “For such a strong, capable fighter, you’re a naive idealist.” Taiyang sighed in defeat, for the time being at least, but otherwise let it go as Tullius pushed on ahead.  Deciding he’d wasted enough time, he followed only after the door had slammed shut behind the General. Unlike him, Tai actually shut it gently before beginning to make his way to Solitude proper.

Despite the numerous, and very, different races of people that crowded Solitude’s streets, Tai couldn’t help but admire the fact they were all more or less living together as he passed by various shops, homes, and a couple of inns as he made his way down what he assumed was main street, which wound its wide, stony, flower lined path towards the distant gates that led out into the countryside.  The smell of saltwater and fish on the breeze caused Tai to think of the sea that surrounded the little island of Patch. Smiling wistfully as pleasant memories passed through his head, he inevitably grew sorrowful as his mind turned to his girls and the fact he was stuck, further away than he’d ever been.

Passing by a shop, the very pleasant, earthy smell coming from the open door as an Imperial man in heavy armor walked out, with the sound of a woman grumbling in what he could only assume was disappointment, Taiyang stopped, looked towards the shop as the door shut, and scratched the back of his head before walking towards the shop.  His curiosity was as good a distraction as anything, and maybe he could do some good in the process? Reading the sign above the door, Tai raised an eyebrow but otherwise kept his thoughts to himself.  **_Angeline’s Aromatics_ ** seemed a little too on the nose, but it certainly explained the pleasant smells.

No sooner had he walked inside did his eyes catch the source of said smells, no surprise since nearly every surface had potion bottles, vials, tinctures, and an exorbitant amount of pieces of plants, flowers, herbs, and bugs and other strange and exotic looking components.  Bowls of various colors of what looked like ground up Dust, which even gave off tendrils of frost, flame, and even what he took to be their version of gravity Dust, but a sign just in front of said bowl said it was Void Salts. Whatever it was, Tai couldn’t help but whistle approvingly at the wide selection, his earlier opinion turning to something far more positive.  “Not bad.”

“Thank you young man.”  Remembering there was an old woman behind the front desk, a Breton if the pointy ears, her facial structure, and her general bearing was anything to go by, Tai blushed and chuckled as he scratched the back of his head again.  The woman merely smiled knowingly and shook her head at him. “Let me guess, too on the nose?” She asked, her eyes gleaming as Tai blushed darker still.

“And I’m gonna take a wild guess and say you’ve gotten that a lot?”  Tai asked, already knowing the answer as he sidled up to the counter, mindful of the various items scattered across its surface in a neat, orderly fashion.  “Sorry, I’m...new to the area. Taiyang Xiao Long. Most everyone calls me Tai.” Reaching across the counter, he smiled warmly as the old woman grasped his hand between her own.

“Angelina, but most people call me Angie.”  She replied as they parted, before looking towards the door.  “I take it you saw that man leave my shop.”

“Uh….yeah.  I saw you seemed upset, and I just thought I’d see if I could help.”

“Your concern’s touching, dear, but I doubt the Imperial Legion will tell you anything either.”  He watched as Angie pulled a chair over and sat down, as if every one of her years had suddenly decided to hit her at once.  He had no idea how old a Breton could get, let alone any of the other races he’d seen with similarly pointy ears, but if he were forced to make a guess, he’d say she was close to a hundred, if not older.  Yet despite that, her dark brown hair was still relatively free of gray, and the wrinkles on her face weren’t all that deep compared to most elders he’d seen. “I’m trying to find out where my daughter is.”  She said once she’d gotten comfortable.

“They won’t tell you?”  Tai asked, abject surprise coloring the question as his eyebrows shot up to his forehead.  Before he could inquire further, another woman, this one much younger at a glance, exited a backroom behind the counter.

Angelina only smiled tiredly up at the girl, as they both saw her curious gaze quickly fall on Tai.  “It’s alright Vivienne, he’s just asking about Fura and why the Legion won’t tell us where she is.”

“Oh.”  Vivienne replied and visibly relaxed, his kind smile and warm presence seeming to do more than anything he could’ve said on its own.  “She was stationed in the city of Whiterun, where she up and disappeared. They keep saying they don’t know what happened, that she went on patrol and never came back, but we both think the Imperials just don’t want to tell us.  Most likely because they had her doing something they shouldn’t have, and she….paid for it.”

_ Just like Summer… _  Beating that thought back as fast as he could, Tai spread his hands helplessly.  “I can try to talk to someone for you if you’d like. I….might have better luck-”

“Wait….golden hair, blue eyes, carries no weapon...are you perhaps the man that helped Sybille Stentor just the other day?”  Angelina asked suddenly, which made Tai uncomfortable since he hadn’t been trying to gain a name for himself.

“Uh… no?” Tai denied with a weak chuckle. “I’m just someone trying to help.”

Angelina wasn’t buying it and clucked her tongue disapprovingly at him before wagging a finger in his face.  “Don’t lie to an old woman, dear. I might be old, but I can still put you over my knee.”

“She’d enjoy it.”  Vivienne teased, earning an indignant if amused scoff from Angelina for her trouble while Tai rolled his eyes and chuckled, mildly embarrassed by what they’d said.  Just as quickly, the younger woman turned back to Tai, her hands folded just in front of her chest as her smile died in the same breath. “If you  _ can  _ get us some answers, it’d be greatly appreciated Sir Xiao Long.”

“It’s just Tai.”  he insisted, but nodded firmly in agreement to their request.  He held up a finger though and turned back to the counter, a question on his lips.  “I actually had a question, but what is all of this even used for?” He gestured towards the various plants and bits of bugs, salts, and the like for clarification, not that it was needed.

“I guess the rumors of you falling into Elisif’s court weren’t so far fetched after all.”  Vivienne stated, immediately intrigued by the revelation while her aunt merely cocked her head to the side.  “If you truly don’t know anything about alchemy, we can at the very least give you a few lessons for promising to help us discover what happened to Fura.”

“But for the sake of all the Divines, Daedra, and everything in between,  _ don't  _ just eat every ingredient you can find to try out its effects.”  Angelina barked, making Tai flinch as he recalled one of his instructors back at Beacon who’d had a similar reaction anytime one of the students did something….stupid.  As it was, the muttered ranting that followed only solidified the image until Vivienne put a hand on Angie’s shoulder. “Sorry….but I swear young alchemists these days have lost the sense the gods gave them, Sheogorath take the fools, just like he took Pelagius the Mad.  Come on then, let’s at least show you how to make a basic health potion.” Before Tai knew what was happening, Angelina had stood, walked around the counter, and put a hand around his arm before dragging him over to a strange looking stone table with a number of beakers, alembics, a small burner, and a number of tools that he didn’t recognize right off.

He recognized lab equipment when he saw it though, and he couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped him as he was all but dragged to the alchemy station.  “And suddenly I feel like I’m a young kid again, being dragged to to my first class back at Signal.”

\--------------

**Riften**

**The Bee and Barb Inn**

“How did I get so turned around?”  Serana asked herself, and not for the first time as she sat down at the darkest table she could find, as far from the rest of the patrons and the light of the candles and torches that illuminated the inside of the inn as she could get.  Sure, she knew that the blizzard she’d ran afoul of certainly hadn't helped things, and the clouds for hours afterwards had bereft her of the stars, denying her even their light as guidance, but she’d assumed that things wouldn’t have changed enough for her to not recognize even one landmark anymore.  The implications as to the amount of time she’d spent in her mother’s tomb were anything but pleasant, which had led to her seeking shelter more to gather her thoughts than any concern for her physical well being. That and Zwei, who was currently lapping up a bowl of milk after having devoured the side of steak she’d gotten him just that morning, had looked quite exhausted by the time they’d gotten to town.

“Woof!”  Looking down, Serana smiled and chuckled at herself, glad that her ludicrous idea that the strange dog had somehow wiped out all life in his path save for the rest of his own kind, had proven to be quite false as Nords, Argonians, Khajiits, and more wandered about the inn and the city of Riften itself.

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up, Zwei.  I didn’t see you taking the lead while we were stuck in that blizzard.”  She remarked, which earned her what she’d begun to see as an amused growl as Zwei yipped again before returning to his meal.  Despite the fact she was talking to a dog of all things, she only shrugged it off since he’d already proven a steadfast ally. “Still, what do we do now, boy?”

A high pitched whine was her only response which she took to mean “No idea”. She scoffed at that and shook her head.  What had she been expecting, for him to rattle off a planned route back to her home?

No sooner had she asked the question did a large shadow fall across her table.  “Ey, pretty lady, why talk to the mutt wh-”

“ **_Go away_ ** .” She said to the flirty, clearly drunken Nord without even bothering to look in his direction.  The supernatural persuasion in her voice was able to make the man turn around before leaving the inn for the rest of the day.  It was quite fascinating what a good day’s rest and a camp full of bandits could do for her vampiric abilities. Still, she stared after the man’s back, just to be sure he left, and nodded approvingly at her handiwork when the door shut behind him.  “Drunken idiot.” She muttered into her half empty wine glass. Not that it did anything for her, but the Volkihar strain of vampirism was...unique in a lot of respects, and one of them allowed her to drink and eat like a normal person. The big one of course was that she could walk out in the sun and not burn to a crisp, which was definitely an up in her own opinion, although it still left her weakened to do so.

The next person that approached was quick to raise their hands as he approached, a sign Serana took to mean he wasn’t looking for trouble with her before he sat down across from her and Zwei, who cocked his head up and to the side in abject curiosity from his spot on the wooden floor.  “Greetings friend. I don’t mean to intrude, but you seem like you could help me with a problem.”

Despite her priority being to get back home, Serana nodded her head as she finished her glass of wine.  “At least you’re better than the last man that got near my table. What can I do for you?” She asked, before giving the air around him a subtle sniff.  She raised an eyebrow when she smelled what could only be described as sweat, blood, and strength, but not his. He was too scrawny and didn’t move with the experience of a trained warrior.  Her suspicions were only given more room to grow when he glanced at the nearby bar across the way, towards a powerfully built woman in simple steel, carrying an ax that looked like it didn’t belong on her belt given the quality of the rest of her gear despite the rest of it being hardened leather.

“It isn't something dangerous, I assure you, but… from the looks of things you are somewhat used to subtlety, while my friend is not.” The man said with an embarrassed smile. “I fear she might act overzealous if I send her, but it’s… about the orphanage my lady.  I’ve heard horrible rumors about that place, we all have, but no one is willing to discern the truth. I would ask you to investigate… in exchange for gold of course.”

Zwei’s intrigued bark was what decided her course for her as Serana glanced down at the dog, swearing that he had understood every word the man had said before glancing back at the lad.  Raising an eyebrow more because she got the impression he was testing her for something bigger, Serana folded her hands across her stomach, her glowing orange eyes falling fully on his face.  “Let’s get one thing clear…”

“Uh Aerin, my lady.”  He supplied without needing to be prompted further.

“Aerin, my name’s Serana, and I only came to Riften because I got turned around and hopelessly lost in the blizzard that blew through.  I’m not looking for work, especially if you’re not going to be honest about what it is you really want.” As harsh as it was, she didn’t have time to help every wayward soul she came across.  Not when the entire world was possibly at stake. Hence why she’d taken the time to….hide, what she’d been carrying around.

“Wha-? But I-...?” Aerin stopped and sent a quick glance at the armored woman at the bar, and Serana nearly rolled her eyes. Did the fool truly hope that she would help him woo the woman? “I’ll be...honest, my lady, I just…didn't tell you everything.”

“Please, do go on, this just got interesting.” She remarked sarcastically, while Zwei, who had jumped onto the table, nodded along with her in a surprising show of intelligence.

Aerin sighed, ran a hand down his face, and glanced at the dog before returning his gaze on her.  “The orphanage is as I said, it truly is a horrible place by all accounts, but what I really wished to ask you is to help my friend reclaim a sword she’s lost in a dwemer ruin not far from Riften.  While I won’t lie, I want to get it back more so she’ll...see me as more than a friend, but I genuinely care about her, and she’s been...unhappy with how things are in town with the Thieves Guild making life difficult for everyone.  I’m hoping by returning her weapon, she’ll at least have a piece of herself back.”

“How did she lose it?”  Serana asked once she’d processed the fact that he was being completely sincere with her now that his little test had been seen through.  It helped that, despite her cynical and jaded nature, she couldn’t help but feel a little warmed by his earnest desire to help someone he clearly had feelings for and seemed honestly concerned about.

“She’s an adventurer”, no surprise, “but she nearly died in the ruins, and lost her sword.  She had to drag herself out of there, and she would’ve died if I hadn’t found her and nursed her back to health.”  Serana blinked again, more than a little surprised by the story he’d told. Aerin blushed and pulled at the hem of his shirt, clearly embarrassed by his outpouring.  “L-let’s not tell Mjoll I told you that tale? She gets...flustered enough as it is.”

“I’ll try to keep from gossiping.”  She chuckled but sighed, knowing she was going to regret this.  “Alright, I’ll check into the orphanage, but I’m gonna need time to gather some supplies, and to get a more….updated map of the area.”  The idea of aiding this man winning the affection of his ‘fair maiden’ somehow appealed to Serana, even though she freely admitted to herself that part of it stemmed from the fact that she could avoid her family, her father specifically, for a while longer.  She’d been gone for over a thousand years from what she’d been able to put together since coming to town, a few more weeks would hardly matter at this point. “Where’s the orphanage?” She asked while Zwei jumped down from the table, his tail eagerly wagging to and fro.

“It’s called Honorhall, run by a crusty old woman called Grelod the ‘Kind’.”  Aerin stated, before giving her directions on how to find the place. “Her assistant, Constance, isn’t a bad woman, but she’s powerless against Grelod from what I’ve heard.”

“Alright.  Come on Zwei.”  The dog yipped excitedly before bounding towards the door with the vampire hot on his heels.  Thanks to Aerin, it didn't take her long to find the place. The moment she got close, she could hear voices from inside.  Directing her gaze to a slightly ajar window, she quickly checked her surroundings before turning into a swarm of bats and flying through the crack, before landing on one of the beams of the rafters.  While she was still separated into a multitude of bats, she was still very much aware of her surroundings as she opened her ‘ears’ and gave a soft, nearly inaudible squeak, illuminating the room below with the noise, which her ‘eyes’ saw as pale gray silhouettes regardless if it was the room or the people below her.  Nifty trick for one such as her, which allowed her to see Grelod and her two dozen ‘children’, as well as Zwei who had somehow followed her and, to her great wonder and confusion, effortlessly avoided detection as he passed behind the caretaker.

Letting her gaze sweep over the two dozen children real quick, who ranged from fifteen to one as young as five, if she were to make a guess, they were all miserable looking, with most if not all of them bearing at least one just visible bruise somewhere on their person.  With how some of them cradled their sides or favored one arm or leg over the other, it was fairly obvious that Grelod was physically abusing them even before she started ranting about some boy called Aventius having run off just yesterday. It was what the old woman began saying however that quickly had Serana’s undivided attention.  Shifting back to her human guise, she perched silently on the rafter beam, concealed by the shadows as if she were merely a part of them, and crossed her arms, her visage darkening more and more with every vile syllable that passed through Grelod’s lips.

“And if any of you know where Aventius, the little brat, has run off, you better tell me!  Otherwise, they’ll be Oblivion to pay for whoever keeps their mouth shut. No one leaves Honorhall, leaves  _ me _ , without my say so!  Gods, but how did I wind up with so many ungrateful brats?!  I take you in, give you a roof over your head, feed you, clothe you, and you think you’re entitled to more?!  Bah! The only reason you’re all here is because your parents had the discourtesy to die, leaving me to take up where they left off, or they simply didn’t want you!”  The old crow all but spat, frothing at the children like a wild animal.

“Yes, Grelod, thank you Grelod.” The children replied monotonously and with empty eyes that sent shivers down Serana’s spine.  The only time she’d seen such hopeless, spiritually destroyed looks was….no, she wouldn’t think of  **_that_ ** here!

Shaking her head, she was just in time to notice one of the children was slower than the rest, and the old woman rounded on him.  No sooner had the poor Khajiit girl had started to take a step back, did Grelod seem to swoop down on her, one bony hand grasping around the fur covered girl’s wrist like a vice.  “You…You think you can slack off? Do you?! You’ll clean the entire courtyard by yourself tomorrow, but that won't be all… oh no, trash like you has to learn its place. I think a night in solitary will do the trick, don’t you?!” Even through the fur, the girl seemed to pale in response and the child actually began to shake in fear. “Good, maybe it’ll stick this ti-”

With a loud bang, Zwei opened the doors of a small closet and whined pitifully just as Serana jumped down from the rafters about the same time Grelod stopped, stared, and gawked at the sudden intrusion.  Torn between her and the dog, Serana had more than enough time to see into Grelod’s bedroom, and to see the manacles hanging from inside the closet Zwei had uncovered. If her verbal abuse alone hadn’t convinced her of Aerin’s claims, the little bits of blood that decorated the closet’s interior, as well as the nail marks along the inside of the doors and the back wall certainly did it.  Drawing her dagger from its sheath while the children, the Khajiit girl included, scattered to the far side of the main hall, Grelod simply glared in dark pride at what she’d seen. “You’re a monster.”

“This is my home, girl!  You have no right here, anymore than these ungrateful brats I allow to stay here.  If not for me, they’d be dead in the snow by now.” Grelod countered as she took a step towards her.

“Sometimes death can be a good thing, especially if it keeps someone from people like you.” Serana hissed back, distantly noting how Zwei had left his position in front of the closet and now stood protectively between Grelod and the children.  It was enough of a distraction for Grelod to cross the room, proving rather spry for a woman of her age as she grabbed at Serana’s dagger hand while pulling one of her own from a hidden sheath at her back. The flash of steel was followed by a sharp pain in her chest as Grelod just managed to angle the blade to get past her toughened clothing, serving as basic if still protective armor.  But the dagger that was bearing down on her was sharper than it looked, and Grelod was stronger than she appeared.

Not strong enough though as Serana wrestled her dagger away from her bony wrist, and flung it aside with an inhuman hiss.  Another woman, Constance she assumed, took one look at them, and quickly slammed open the back door, ushering the children out with Zwei staying behind to protect their flank.  It wasn’t necessary as Serana shoved Grelod back, hard, making her trip and fall onto a bed that had been just behind her. The sound of her head hitting the headboard didn’t seem to slow the old woman down though as she leaned up, her teeth bared much like hers were.

“ _ You- You- You beast! Abomination! Monster! _ ” Grelod screamed as Serana lost her patience with the mortal,  The vampire was atop her in a flash, one hand clamped tightly around her throat.

“I’ve heard it all before.”  She hissed, her fangs elongating long before she buried them in the side of Grelod’s neck.  The slash in her chest closed up in record time as the old crone’s blood filled her mouth, not that she was paying it much mind, too consumed with draining this woman dry for all she was worth.  Not because she needed the blood, although it certainly helped, but because Grelod simply needed to die before she could hurt anyone else. Once she’d finished, Serana drove her elven dagger into the dried up husk’s chest for good measure, and quickly, efficiently, carved out the crone’s heart, both because she didn’t want to run the risk Grelod came back as a vampire, but also because she’d developed such a strong hatred for her in such a short amount of time that Serana wanted to add insult to injury by putting her vital organ to use in her alchemy later.

Once the grisly task was done, Serana grumbled a curse when she realized her clothes were likely ruined before remembering the kids and Constance were outside, no doubt extremely frightened by what had just occurred. Setting what little remained of the corpse ablaze, she sighed and prepared to face the music.

“Grelod is dead!” A voice behind her cheered and she whirled around to see all of the children staring at her not like a monster, but like a savour.  It was unexpected, surprising, and as much as she liked being seen as anything different than a bloodsucking beast, heartbreaking. Children shouldn’t be able to find such happiness in death, but in this rare case, she was willing to make a very slight exception.

“Woof!”  Zwei’s bark interrupted their cheering, if only long enough for those closest to huddle around him and giggle adorably down at the mutt as he raised his head and let his tongue hang from his mouth.  It was clear he was enjoying their attention, but Serana wasn’t fooled by the act, he was distracting them as Constance hesitantly approached her. Zwei, without needing to be told, bounded away, leading the children back out into the yard for the time being.

“I-I shouldn’t be happy she’s...gone, but you have no idea what she was like.”  She stammered out, as much ashamed as she was relieved by the burning corpse that was now all that was left of Grelod.

“I can imagine quite a bit.” Serana retorted, keeping one eye on Zwei and the children, for one moment worried he might injure them with his supernatural strength, but her worries were quickly proven to be unjustified as the dog seemed to know exactly what to do to cheer the children up as well as knowing just how hard he could nudge them in play as the youngest eagerly chased him.  Turning her attention back on Constance, Serana glanced at the now smoldering ash pile, and what was left of the bed because of the blaze she’d set. “Do you want any help, getting rid of  _ that _ ?”  She spat out, her question needing no clarification as to what she meant.

“Y-yes, if you would.  The bed would need to go regardless.”  Constance agreed as she put a hand over her mouth and nose, her eyes flicking towards the windows on both sides of the hall.  “Airing out this place will do us all some good I think.”

“Alright.  Zwei, stay here with the kids.”  The dog’s answering bark was assurance enough as Serana easily lifted her side of the bed, with Constance taking the other side.  Between the two of them, they were able to drag it outside, and to the river that flowed through most of Riften. Despite a few curious glances, Constance only shrugged and said that there’d been an accident with a candle.  In a way that was even the truth, but Serana was glad no one got close enough to see the few drops of blood that decorated the charred sheets.

“Who sent you, my lady?”  Constance asked once the bed had splashed down into the river without further fuss from anyone.

“Aerin.” Serana told her and did her best to keep her face impassive. She wondered how she was going to explain all this to her employer as she hadn’t planned on killing Grelod when taking the job.

She didn’t have to though, because Constance was visibly too grateful to even question her good fortune.  “Mjoll’s savior? He’s always been kind the few times he’s stopped by Honorhall when Grelod wasn’t around.  I’ll have to thank him for what you’ve done.”

“Uh…probably best to leave out the part where I sucked her dry.” Serana couldn't help but point out dryly, earning a nervous glance from the caretaker.

“Ah, yes… I’ll be sure to keep your true nature hidden, my lady. I don’t wish to displease you.”

Serana shook her head and offered her a sad, understanding smile as she put a hand on Constance’s shoulder.  “I’m not a lady, and please, I don’t want you to be terrified of me. I never planned for any of this, but when she stabbed me in the chest… well, instinct took over.”

“O-of course.  Still, thank you….uh?”

“Sorry, my name’s Serana.”  She replied, her hand falling back down to her side.  While it was obvious Constance was still afraid of her, the fear was slowly fading from the young woman’s face as she nodded shakily.  “Go back to them, and get rid of that closet as soon as you can. No one should be left in the dark like that.”

“I will.”  That much she believed without a doubt as Constance quickly walked away.  Left to look down into the river, Serana sighed and wondered how she’d gotten into this mess.  Only when Zwei wandered back, forlorn and his ears and tail drooping, his head lowered in sadness, did Serana look down at the dog, her own momentary depression forgotten.  “What’s wrong boy?” Zwei immediately shot up and panted happily at her, but she couldn't help but think that it was a forced cheerfulness. “Come on boy, you can te-” She stopped herself and looked at the closed door from where she could still hear the children eagerly talking to one another. “You… You have your own humans, children from wherever you came from, don’t you?”

A positive whine echoed through the early morning as Zwei lowered his head sadly and sat down on his hind legs.  Without hesitating for a moment, Serana sat down beside him and pulled the furry dog closer to her. “Seems we have something in common, Zwei.”  She told him and nudged his shoulder lightly. “We both miss our family.” Though perhaps it was more accurate to say that she missed the way her family had once been, before…everything happened.  Feeling her own melancholy, Zwei leaned into her, and playfully nudged her back as the two of them sat in silence and gazed into the slowly brightening heavens.

**End Notes** :  **Nomad-117:** Tada, new chapter this time with Tai meeting new people and having a talk with a certain Imperial general we all know. And even more Serana and Zwei, and damn did it feel good to write the demise of Grelod the cunt. Figured it’d be more fun if they don't just march up to crazy daddy and hand him the Elder Scroll, there will be time for such crazy shenanigans later, for now they have other crazy shenanigans of their own to take care of. Such as getting hopelessly lost, killing sadistic old women, be awesome, and bond. Worry not though, we haven't forgotten our Dragonborn nor the dusty old crow that accompanies her, and speaking of birds, we hope you enjoyed our part for Raven as well. She isn't exactly a people person, but we figured this whole thing with Cinder, Yang, Qrow etc. would have at least some effect on her. At any rate, hopefully you enjoyed this, see you around guys and leave a review.

**Vergil1989:**  I’ll admit, writing that dream Raven endured her first night at the College scared me lol.  I had to walk away from the computer after making Yang go all Grimm like that. That aside, having Serana get lost and wind up on the other side of Skyrim was rather fun, and I have Nomad to thank for proposing the idea at the time.  Besides that, playing around with the quest lines like this has been pretty awesome in its own right, skipping over the Aventius thing and going right for the jugular, as it were. Hehe...anyway, Siri’s chapter with Qrow and Lydia will take up most of the next one since a lot’s gonna be going on, with the fight with the Draugr Deathlord being the immediate, but not the most important, part of the chapter.  At any rate, take care everyone!


	6. Dance With the Dead

**Chapter 5**

**Dance With the Dead**

\-------------

**Near Ivarstead**

**Shroud Hearth Barrow**

The last time Siri had opened such a large door as the one they’d just passed through, the Hall of Heroes had been just down the adjacent hall, where she’d found her first Word Wall as well as a Draugr of terrible strength and cold, calculating intelligence, guarding the chamber, and the power meant only for a very select few.  This time however, the adjoining hall had led into yet more of the Barrow, which quickly turned out to be filled with yet more traps, more Draugr, and while it wasn’t important to her, more treasure. It was barely a concern for her really, especially after their little talk not ten minutes ago. The mood wasn’t tense at least, but the silence that had fallen between them save for the occasional order shouted and curse was still heavy in the air, with each of them lost to their own thoughts.

Even so, the less than subtle glances Lydia kept throwing at Qrow’s back as he led the way forward, his dwemer like blade resting against one shoulder, was starting to get on Siri’s nerves.  True, it’d been….surprising to learn he’d been a bandit, that he’d enrolled in a school meant to train his world’s protectors only so he and his sister could kill them, but he’d given them no reason to be concerned.  And she understood better than he knew about wanting to find a better life for himself. It was half the reason why she was so far from home after all.

Qrow’s hand in front of her as they found themselves in a two floored room, with the upper level separated by a bridge that they’d need to unlock and lower, was the only warning she had before an arrow was fired down at them from a Draugr that made its way halfway down a flight of stairs.  Snapping her eyes up, Siri summoned her bound blade just as another undead warrior summoned something of its own. “What the-” Qrow started, as heavy footfalls pounded towards them, the Frost Atronach lumbering towards them with the full intent to turn them into a fine red paste on the ground.

“Scatter!”  Siri shouted, her free hand coming up as the giant made of ice and snow raised one of its large, club like hands towards her.  Fire poured from her hand as ice met in the middle between them, quickly obscuring the room in a heavy fog.

“Think that killed it? Qrow asked, only to be hit by a fist that emerged from the fog, throwing him against the nearest wall. “Guess not.”  He grunted as his strange power flared around his body as he regained his feet, a shimmering shield of gray the only indication he’d been touched.  While it faded, Siri could still feel its presence even at this distance.

“Kill the Scourge that summoned it, the Atronach will fade once its connection to this plane’s severed!”  Sirille called out as she spun and ducked under another lumbering swing, her blade biting into the frost giant’s right side as she darted for the Draugr, that was even then trying to summon an icy spear to its hand.

“On it!”  Lydia called out as she and Qrow ran for the wooden stairs that’d led up to the Scourge’s current position.  Using her shield, the archer was bulldozed aside as she shoved it off the stairs on her way past, just as Qrow jumped up and over her as the Scourge released its spear.  The flat of his blade caught it mid flight, the shards of ice that remained shattering harmlessly on either side of his body. With a nod of thanks her only response, Lydia followed just behind Qrow while Siri continued to distract the Atronach.

Jumping back as one large fist slammed into the ground, Siri darted forward, her sword flashing before her.  The creature’s club like fist fell to the ground, severed just above the ‘wrist’, but it hardly slowed as it brought its remaining hand to bear.  She had just enough time to use her sword to take the brunt of the powerful blow, but even that wasn’t enough to save her as she was flung backwards, landing heavily on her back several feet away.  The Atronach lumbered forward, heedless of its injuries as it raised its large club once more. Before it could bring it down, it faded back through the portal it’d been summoned through, leaving only a few patches of ice covered ground behind to show it’d ever been there.  Slumping onto her back, Siri sighed and closed her eyes, needing a moment to catch her breath.

“You alright, red?”  Qrow called down as she heard the sound of his blade exiting the dead Draugr Scourge.

“Y-yes.  I’m alright.”  She replied, groaning as she stood to her feet, her bound blade having since disappeared.  “Lydia?”

“I’m alright, my Thane.”  The Housecarl replied as she looked down at the dead Draugr Scourge between them, her face unreadable.

“This common?” Qrow asked from his elevated position and looked at the two of them. “I mean that you got corpses walking around in your tombs?”

“It's pretty common in Skyrim, yes.” Lydia confirmed. “There are many such tombs, caves and more filled with Draugr.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing that they don’t think to leave their hidey holes and band together then.  Sounds like they could be a real menace.” Qrow rumbled, his eyes on his mechanical blade. “Well, what now?”

“Now...ow, we try to get that bridge unlocked.”  Siri said, having since gotten to the second floor just behind her two companions.  Nodding her head to a set of revolving stones, each side bearing an image not so dissimilar to the claw and the giant stone door’s rings, she pushed ahead to try and get a better look at what they were working with, one hand pressed gingerly against her right side.  “There should be four stationary stones nearby, each bearing a part of the answer for these. Once we have that, we can unlock the bridge and move on.” Looking to the right, she started towards a side chamber, where she could just make out what looked like a wall had been less than conspicuously placed to conceal something.  Spying a brass pressure plate on the ground in the center of the room, a number of old shelves and tables covered with old linens, burned books, and a number of useless scraps of metal, armor, and more, Siri glanced at the ceiling and walls. When she didn’t see any visible traps, or at least any she could see, she ever so gently put her foot on the plate, her muscles tensed on the off chance so much as a poisoned arrow dart stuck its little head out of a hole.

Instead of a trap, the ‘walls’ moved, revealing that they were indeed hiding the answer to the puzzle outside.  “Clever trick. Who made all this anyway?” Qrow asked as he stood in front of the leftmost ‘wall’, where she spotted a fish looking emblem engraved in the front of the stone.

“The ancient Nords that would later be buried in places like this.  Very few people knows exactly where the Draugr came from, but it can be surmised that they were embalmed in such a way that if anyone tried to trespass, the ancient warriors would rise up and protect what they’d buried.”  Lydia informed them all, as the wall she was standing in front of continued to move. Making a note of the stone it revealed behind its false facade, she stepped away while Qrow started back to the bridge with the others following close behind.

“I found a book not long after leaving Helgen that said most Draugr, while they were still alive, once belonged to a cult that worshipped the dragons.  At first I hadn’t believed it, but then I entered my first Barrow not long after leaving Riverwood. I’d been asked to get back a claw made from gold, like the sapphire one you picked up from the inn.”  Siri replied, a visible shudder passing through her robed and armored body. “Bleak Falls wasn’t anything like this place, but there was enough Draugr to put truth to the claims they were utterly devoted to their draconic masters.”

“So they allowed themselves to be turned into those things.  Yeesh, kinda glad most of Remnant burn their dead instead of keepin’ them around.”  He muttered, while they prepared to move the various stones. True to her word, the bridge lowered once the code had been properly set, and another pressure plate had been activated.

“Some still burn their dead in this day and age.”  Siri said with a shrug. “Necromancers have a bad habit of raising zombies to do their bidding, but they need a body to perform their foul magics in the first place.  Ashes won’t do it on their own, but in most cases, bodies are burned as a form of deep respect, and to supposedly help the deceased find their way to whatever afterlife they’re destined for.  Imperials especially tend to follow this tradition if memory serves.” She turned to Qrow then, curiosity getting the better of her. “Why do your people burn their dead?”

“Some species of Grimm have a bad habit of possessing dead bodies.”  He replied simply. “Besides, victims of a Grimm attack usually aren’t…exactly whole anymore, so it's better to burn the body parts lest someone sees them.”

“Ah… I see.”  With what little he’d said about the monsters of his world, it actually seemed natural to want to protect what little they had in such a manner, and to give the survivors a sense of closure without exposing them to further horror and sorrow by forcing them to bury only body parts of their family and friends.  “I’m almost glad I didn’t live there, no offense.”

“Trust me, the thought’s crossed my mind more than once.  And now here I am. Guess it’s true what they say, be careful what you wish for.”  Despite his words, he shot her a little half smirk over his shoulder, just in time for another Draugr to come stumbling out of another hallway.  With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, he barely got a chance to turn before Siri was there, her bound blade removing its head in the next moment. “Kill stealer.”

“Keep up then, you dusty old crow.”  Siri replied, a little smile returning to her lips as her curved, wickedly serrated blade disappeared once more.

“Careful kid, you don't wanna see me get serious.” Qrow warned her playfully, but she could hear a hint of warning in his voice. “Things usually don't go well when I have to.”

“Now that you bring it up, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Siri began as she saw what looked like another long, narrow hallway, a flight of wooden stairs leading back down into gods knew where, “but just what killed that man back at the inn?  You keep saying misfortune follows you, yet you can’t weaponize bad luck….can you?”

“You’d be surprised… but yeah, in my case you can.  Makes it hard on friends and family.” Qrow rumbled softly in response.

“You… can’t control it?”  Lydia asked, just as intrigued as Siri was even though they were both aware that this wasn’t something he liked to talk about.

“Every person who has Aura, inevitably gets a power unique to their soul, their personality, called a Semblance.  I can…amplify my Semblance, will it to happen more often and with greater accuracy, but… I can never just turn it off completely.”  He sighed unhappily, and chuckled humorlessly. “As you can imagine, that didn't exactly make me popular with our old tribe. If not for Raven, they might’ve killed me for a number of...accidents that happened anytime I was around.”

“Your own tribe-”  Siri began, before just as quickly earning a look from Qrow that hinted at just what his strange power had cost him.

“They were bandits in a harsh world, what’d you expect?”  He asked, to which she couldn’t find the words to argue. “And now you know why I say fighting near me is a bad idea, hell, staying near me is a bad idea.  Why’d you think I always try to keep my distance?”

“Just figured you weren't much for company.” Siri admitted with a shrug. “To be fair though, how in Oblivion could I have even guessed that your very presence manipulates the laws of probability?”

“Fair enough.”  Entering the next room, they saw a number of tombs on either side of a large stone platform.  Waterfalls drained into the room, filling the bottommost level with enough water to make movement difficult, but not impossible.  “Well...looks like this is it.”

“I’d have to agree.”  Lydia said as she noted the number of black sarcophagi on either side, with a much more ominous one at the top of a long flight of stairs, with a heavy looking black stone door just beyond.  “My Thane?” Lydia asked, looking for guidance on how they were to proceed moving forward.

“We’re probably going to have to kill them all so the door will open.”  Siri replied once she’d taken in the layout of the room. “If I were to guess, I’d say the first few will be relatively simple, skeletons, low level Draugr, but the more tombs that open-”

“The harder and stronger they’ll get.”  Qrow finished, with Siri nodding in agreement.

“The big coffin at the top will likely be a Deathlord.  The...last one I fought was able to Shout.” Both Lydia and Qrow let out sharp inhales of breath at that.  “I think I said once before that people can learn how to Shout without needing to be a Dragonborn.”

“I simply wasn’t aware the Draugr could do it as well.”  Lydia replied, her pale face paling a little further at the realization they were going to be in for an actual fight.  “I’m glad I never made it a habit of exploring Barrows before becoming your Housecarl, Sirille.” Blinking at her use of her first name, Lydia quickly looked away and apologized.

Shaking her head, Siri put a hand on the woman’s shoulder and nodded her head approvingly.  “You….might serve me as my Housecarl, but I’ve never wanted a servant. I...wanted a friend, and I still do, Lydia.”  She was glad when Lydia smiled softly, her eyes brightening in the darkened corridor, before Sirille turned to the door, glancing up to the heavy iron bars that would likely slam down once they passed through.  “Trapped on this end from the look of it. Probably designed to slam down once we walk through, trapping us inside with them until either they’re dead, or we are.”

“Well, let’s make sure it’s them.”  With a nod, Sirille was emboldened by Qrow’s determined stride and his palpable if quiet confidence as he twirled his mechanical wonder of a sword so that it rested at his left side.  Following his example, Siri summoned forth her sword and an orb of crackling fire to her hands while Lydia simply readied her weapons, her lips pressed together in a grim, hard line.

As had been surmised, the heavy iron gate fell into place not seconds after they crossed the threshold, and the first of the nearest sarcophagi began to rumble as the occupants inside started to stir.  Tensing in preparation, Sirille was the first to rain destruction, literally, down on the first skeletal Draugr that reared its ugly head the moment it stood once it’d shoved the lid of its tomb aside. It fell, burned to a crisp before it had a chance to swing a leg over the side.  Qrow followed that with a casual swing of his blade as a second Draugr stood, only to fall as its top half fell back into its resting place, while its legs fell over the edge, landing between the next tomb in line.

“Look out!”  Lydia cried, her shield up just as an arrow passed dangerously close to her cheek, instead its path altered just in a nick of time.  “They aren’t coming out in the order you assumed they would!” She called out, and charged down the archer that had forced its way to freedom closer to the stairs.  Another arrow thunked into the woman’s shield, but he didn’t get a third shot off before her sword was jammed into its chest, severing its spine. The cold, dead lights of its eyes dimmed, and the archer fell without another sound.

Qrow had since jumped over to another of the open sarcophagi, but by the time he got there, the Draugr had gotten itself up and out, its heavy longsword ringing out when their blades met.  Grunting in effort, Sirille glanced away from her own adversary just long enough to see Qrow having to trade blows with the undead warrior as it proved almost as strong and skilled as he was.  “Tough bastard, aren’t ya?” He rumbled, before shoving the Draugr’s blade up and away, leaving him open to a vicious kick to its chest that sent it flying into the water below. The warrior had barely splashed down before Qrow was on top of it, his blade finding a new home in what passed for its shriveled up neck.  “How you holding up, red?” He called up while Siri ducked another another swing of her enemy’s blade before having to step back lest she got hit by the large, round shield strapped to its arm.

“Grr...just fine!”  Siri growled, her side aching from her earlier fight with the Frost Atronach, and this latest Draugr refused to die.  With Lydia too far away to help as she too engaged two more of the undead warriors, Siri was on her own as she continued to duck and weave around the shield bearing undead, her bound blade clashing against his much more physical one in a deadly dance.  “I really need to get an actual sword.” She growled, the threads of her blade beginning to unravel as she neared the end of her summoned sword’s limit as she jerked back from another swing, spinning around a follow up shield bash, which put her just being the Draugr as he came out of his attack, unbalanced and unable to recover in time.  No sooner had she begun to bring her sword down though, did her blade disappear in her hand, leaving her to slam her empty fist into the side of its neck. “Molag’s balls!”

A blade bisected the undead warrior before her, and Qrow looked at her in what seemed proud amusement. “Not a bad thought kid, but given that these guys are undead… you gotta do better than a fist.” He told her as he lazily deflected a blow coming at his back, twisted around, and cut off the offending limb which still grasped the Nordic blade before handing it to her, along with the still attached arm. “Your spooky blades aren’t bad, but cold hard steel ought to do better in this case.”

“Thanks….I think.”  Siri grimaced in mild disgust as the shriveled up limb still wriggled, its long, dead gray fingers struggling to hold onto the hilt of its blade, but she merely burned the arm to ash with a flick of her wrist before firmly taking the blade in her own hand.  Testing the balance with a few casual swings, she nodded her approval despite it feeling heavier than she was used to. “It’ll do until we’re out of here.” She said, just as Lydia finished off the last of the undead, leaving only the topmost coffin’s contents to worry about.

“So… that Deathlord is inside that coffin?” Qrow casually asked about the same time the first ominous thud from inside the tomb resounded through the chamber.  Tensing for whatever came next as the lid was shoved aside, Siri didn’t so much as nod as she readied snatched up the Draugr’s sheath, hurriedly tying it about her waist.  “Hurry up kid, this thing’s already giving me the creeps just from what you said earlier.”

**\---------**

**Skyrim Combat #2**

**\---------**

“What do you think I’m do-” She didn't get to finish before a wave of force shot out of the coffin and hit Qrow, who stood in the centre of their little group.  His blade flying out of his hand and nearly decapitating Lydia when it came to a stop right beside her, buried almost a foot into the wall.

“Huh, that new.” He muttered even as he drew a small knife and threw it as the Deathlord swung its legs over the side before starting towards them, a heavy axe between its bony hands, burying it in one of the glowing eyes of the much more powerful undead.  Unfortunately, the warrior wasn't bothered by that in the slightest. In fact, it tore out the offending blade and continued to wield it in its offhand alongside its own weapon, which, despite its immense size, it was still able to wield with little difficulty.  Qrow was unamused at this latest development. “That's just not fair.”

“ **_Qiilaan Us Dilon!_ ** ”  The Deathlord commanded, and while the others only stared at it blankly, Sirille heard the words loud and clear.  Rather, it was safer to say she felt them reverberate in her chest, sensed the malevolent intent behind them, but she merely narrowed her eyes to slits as Qrow made for his sword while Lydia raised her shield, prepared to face it head on.

“ **_Neh!_ ** ” Snapping her empty hand up, Siri felt electrical energy coalesce between her gloved fingers, and when she’d built up a sufficient charge, she lashed out with bolt after bolt of lightning, forcing the undead warrior back a step.  That was all she was able to achieve as it glared balefully at her, all while, with almost casual contempt, blocked Lydia’s slash with the long, ancient handle of its axe before getting its dagger up and under her shield, cutting a red, shallow line into the Housecarl’s unprotected forearm.  Stumbling back with a cry, the Deathlord, if it could, smiled as it spun and swung its axe for Lydia’s head, but Siri was there to take the brunt of its attack with her newly acquired sword, giving the other woman just enough time to step back out of reach even as she was pushed into the side of one of the stone coffins.  Pushing off and away, the axe came down where she’d just been, chipping away a large part of the coffin, while leaving the Deathlord’s back unprotected.

Both she and Lydia stabbed for what parts of its shriveled flesh they could, before having to backpedal as it came around with a wide swing.  “ **_Hi los ney zonoot._ ** ”  The Deathlord even went so far as to nod respectively at them, before just as quickly ducking under Qrow when he rejoined the fight, blade leading in an elegant spin that it stopped cold with its axe, sparks flying from where their weapons met.  “ **_Nuz nii fen ni kos ganog!  Fus...Ro Dah!_ ** ”

“Cra-”  Both Sirille and Qrow were sent flying, with Lydia left on the stone platform.  Head ringing from where she’d hit the slime covered rocks below, Sirille sputtered and coughed as water began to fill her lungs when her head went under, only to just as quickly be pulled to her feet by Qrow.  “Hurry up, red!” He growled before hitting a switch on his mechanical sword, one she’d seen but hadn’t had the courage to ask about. Having seen it transform into some kind of projectile thrower already, she couldn’t help but stare as the blade broke up into several segmented parts that began to curve and lock into place at the same time the simple, metallic hilt lengthened, sending the curved, now scythe like blade several inches above one shoulder.  “I think it’s time to warm up for the real fight, don't you?”

“What do you think I’ve been doing this whole time?”  Sirille growled as she started for a narrow flight of stairs that would lead her back up to the platform, where Lydia was even then fighting for her life as she danced and weaved as best she could around the Deathlord’s powerful axe swings, aided further by the dagger Qrow had unintentionally given it.

“Foolin’ around, why else wouldn’t you have Shouted back?” Qrow told her, clearly unimpressed as he headed for the Deathlord, spinning his weapon around him in an intricate pattern. The undead lord chose that moment to swing its blade down at Lydia, whose defense had been broken, only for Qrow to intercept the blow with the hilt of his newly transformed scythe just below the blade. “Missed me?” He asked with a wry smile, pulling the weapon and its wielder towards him before spinning around, nearly beheading the Draugr if not for its quick reaction, though even that didn't save it from the cut along its throat. Additionally the stumble had somehow ensured that its large axe ended up breaking the wrist of his other arm, forcing it to release the dagger held there. “Hmm, what were the chances of that happening?”

Unamused by Qrow’s quip, it snapped head forward, quick as a snake, and headbutted the man, forcing him back a step while bringing its now useless hand up to catch Lydia’s downward stroke with its broken hand.  Despite damaging itself, the steel was stopped dead, stuck in its ruined flesh, which allowed it the space it needed to suck in a breath for another Shout. “Fu-”

“ **_FUS_ ** !”  Siri Shouted first, and while hers was incomplete, without the rest of the Words to fully empower it, her power was still enough to make it stumble and fall to a knee.  Summoning her bound blade on the run, Siri jumped forward as Lydia pulled her blade free, wisely stepping back while she came down, her blades finding both sides of its unarmed shoulders from above.  Staring into its dead, skeletal visage, Sirille was able to watch the cold, unnatural glow to its eyes fade and eventually die as it finally fell, held up only by the two swords buried into its body. Drawing her blades up and out, she let her butt touch the nearest open coffin, winded, sore, her head ringing still, but they were alive.  She was still annoyed with Qrow however, and her golden eyed glare said as much. “How’s that for not holding back?”

“You’re still a runt.”  He retorted, but smirked in approval of how she’d done.  “But you miss Housecarl, ain’t too bad.”

“Thank you, Qrow, although you far outstrip either of us.”  Sirille had already come to that conclusion, but to hear Lydia say as much was surprising to her.  To hear her say Qrow’s name without wanting to put her sword through his face was just as astonishing.

Something that, naturally, didn’t escape Qrow’s attention.  “Wow, I didn’t expect you to say that.”

“A Housecarl’s job is to protect her Thane.”  Lydia informed him with a nod towards Sirille for emphasis.  “I seek to improve myself wherever I can so I can do my honor bound task to the best of my ability.  As such, I can recognize who is the better warrior among us.”

“Yeah… but a warrior, huntsman, killer, these are the things I’m good at. You’re marginally better with people than me, I’ll give ya that, but not by much with that stick up your ass.” He quipped before turning serious. “Truth be told Lydia, your blade work’s impressive, your defenses pretty competent, but you’re too rigid to downright unmoving.  You gotta move more fluidly if you wanna get better than you are now.” Lydia nodded her head as she sheathed her sword at her side, and more surprisingly in Sirille’s opinion, Qrow’s smirk turned into a ghost of a genuine smile before just as quickly growing serious when the iron bars raised, allowing them to leave in either direction.

“Would you be willing to teach me?”

“I can, gotta warn you though, I’m not the best swordsman around, my true strength lies in my skill with my scythe.” Qrow told her plainly and was rewarded with a chuckle from Lydia’s lips.

“You might not be the best swordmaster you know of, but it’s clear to me that your skill far surpasses my own.  I shudder to imagine what your uninhibited skill with a scythe is like.” A sentiment Sirille could agree with given what they’d seen of the man’s abilities thus far.

“Alright, fine by me, I can kick your ass around for a bit, but you gotta consider that my style is vastly different from yours, so you gotta adapt for that yourself.  I never was one to use shields.”

“Fine by me… and you were joking when you said you’d 'kick my ass'… right?”  Lydia asked, uncertain if he was being serious or not.  A question Sirille also had, but she wasn't able to ask for a better explanation in any event.  


“You’re just gonna wait and find out.  Isn’t that thrilling?” Qrow asked her with a mischievous smirk.

“Do you two need a room?”  Sirille asked, earning an amused snort from Qrow and a roll of Lydia’s eyes tinged with a smile and a light blush to her pale cheeks.  Turning to Qrow, she banished her summoned blade while sheathing her new sword. “If you’re handing out lessons, I could benefit from the same if you’re willing, Qrow.  For now….” She trailed off and looked towards the now open door that was at the top of the stairs. “For now, I need to find the Word Wall, and see what new Word I can add to my arsenal before we can get out of here.”

“Sure, you do that.” He agreed while he walked up to the corpse of the Deathlord, staring at it for a moment before stabbing it through the head once more.

“It’s already dead.”

“Didn't stop it from kicking our asses earlier, I like to make sure kid, first lesson for you.” Qrow shot back with a grin and pulled out his blade. “Second lesson for the day, loot everything you can find, you never know what you’ll find or when it might come in handy… especially if civilization is a ways of.”

Sirille nodded but said no more as she moved towards the Word inscribed on the distant wall, its burning light drawing her in like a moth to the flame until her entire vision was filled with its strange, ancient letters.  Ignoring Lydia’s concerned inquiry, having never seen this before, Sirille was only a few steps away from the stone surface before the Word flared brightly, and their meaning began to burn itself into her mind and soul, streams of spectral blue and orange light the only sign anything was happening as they seemed to wrap around her body before she absorbed them too.  She fell to her knees, exhausted once its influence left her, leaving her dizzy but...feeling stronger in some primal fashion she had begun to get used to. “Kyne’s Peace? Huh...right.” She muttered once her mind had translated the intended power behind the Word she’d taken.

Feeling Lydia’s hand on her shoulder, she looked up and nodded, silently reassuring the woman that she was okay before she got to her feet once more, her legs feeling like jelly until even that passed in short order.  “What….happened exactly, Sirille?” She asked once the Altmer was standing without assistance, before Lydia’s eyes fell on the now dull, but still inscription covered Wall in front of them. “And can you make any sense of what’s here?”

“What question do you want answered first, Lyd?”  Qrow asked as he sidled up to them, his pack heavily ladened with the contents of the Draugrs’ respective tombs.  Ignoring the blush that colored Lydia’s cheeks from her enthusiastic curiosity, Qrow waved her off as he stood just behind and to the right of Sirille, he too openly looking at the ancient Nord writing between them.  “I saw the light show, that happen every time you find one of these?’

“It does, it also happens when I kill a dragon.”  Sirille replied simply as she read the inscription.  She already knew she’d be able to understand what was there, having read the first Wall without a problem, although it’d taken her a fair bit longer to make sense of the writing the first time around.  Now though, she only needed a moment before she began to read the story aloud for her companions. “Here lies the body of Hela, friend to all beasts, servant of Kyne. May she find rest in the Forest of Dreams.  Noble Nords remember these words of the hoar father: Pray not for peace, for such is the wish of the weak and cowardly. Here fell shield maiden Valkrys who fought with courage, but was wrong to trust the power of a borrowed blade.”  She couldn’t help the glance she stole of the blade that now rested on her hip, an action that had Qrow rolling his eyes this time at the less than subtle insinuation. “What?” She asked innocently.

“Ha ha.  You and Yang would get along great.  Still, I wonder which one of those was this Hela and Valkrys?”  He asked, his gaze flicking towards the dead Draugr in the room behind them.

“They fought with the strength of any Nord I’ve encountered, if nothing else, we did them an honor.”  Lydia replied before her eyes fell to the distant exit on the right side of the large, water filled chamber they were in.  “We should leave, Sirille. It’ll likely be dark soon, and if we want to make it back to Ivarstead, we’ll need to hurry.”

“Or we can simply camp just outside the exit for the night.  I doubt any of us are in any shape to travel in the dark for long.”  A quick glance revealed they were all in fairly rough shape, with Lydia’s arm still bleeding from the dagger slash she’d taken.  Qrow was probably the one most uninjured thanks to his strange power, but he looked slightly beat down and tired despite this fact.  Between her head concussion and the number of bruises she’d sustained, let alone the damage she’d taken from the Frost Atronach, she was feeling every bit of it as the adrenaline bled off, leaving her a much more sore, ache ridden mess.

“We have no idea how far the exit is at this point, and I’d rather not be stumbling around in the dark.”  Siri eventually said as she took a stumbling step forward, glad that Qrow decided to stick close to her side as she valiantly led the way towards what she hoped was the way out.  “We’ll camp just outside the Barrow, that way we can at least know we’re relatively safe with some trees between us and anything that might fly overhead.”

“Sounds like a plan kid.”  Lydia too nodded but otherwise remained silent as she took point, with Qrow sticking close by Sirille.  Much to all of their silent, collective relief, there was nothing else to worry about as they came across a sealed, stone door, with a lever just to the right side.  Pulling it revealed a secret exit that led right back to the main entrance they’d used to get into the Barrow in the first place. “Wow, a backdoor into this place, who woulda guessed.”

“I had hoped.”  Sirille replied, and shrugged when Qrow and Lydia both stared at her for a moment.  “The last one had a similar arrangement, so I think it’s safe to assume there’s going to be a shortcut back no matter what Barrow we visit moving forward.”

“Who builds secret shortcuts out of their tombs, seriously?” Qrow complained with an eyeroll. “Why even bother? You know what? I don’t wanna know.” He decided and pulled out his flask and took a deep gulp.  He frowned though when he realized his flask was empty. “Damn, and now my already bad luck just got worse.” No sooner did the words leave his mouth than there was a horrible noise of stone grinding against stone, and the secret door slammed shut just as he cleared the exit.  “....Okay, I get the picture. Not gonna say another word ‘bout it.”

“You really are a walking proximity hazard, aren’t you?”  Sirille chuckled even as she took a few less than inconspicuous steps away from the man.  She was too keyed up on the fact they were all still alive to worry about how close that had been from ending up trapped, or dead, beneath that door.

“Yep.  I still trained my niece Ruby without a hitch though, so don’t think you two are free and clear now that you’ve agreed to bein’ my personal punching bags.”

“I don't reca-”  Lydia began, only to end up with Qrow’s finger pressed against her lips in the next instant.

“Don't question your teacher, you wanna learn dont ya? So just listen to me, you can come complainin’ afterwards for all I care.”  With that, Qrow all but swaggered to the door despite the weight of his loot laden pack slowing him down, leaving Siri and Lydia to follow.  The former was finding it very hard not to chuckle at the annoyed glare the latter was even then throwing at the Huntsman’s back.

Setting up camp was an easy enough affair, especially since there were fresh if old bedding back in the Barrow from the previous occupant’s tenure that they put to use.  Between then and getting a fire going, Lydia had taken a moment to clean and wrap her arm before returning to the task of situating their tents, while Qrow went out to get something for them all to eat.  The sound of his heavy sword followed by a tree falling was the only warning they had before he returned, a dead deer being dragged behind him. “Know how to clean and prep a deer you two?”

“Did you just chop a tree down with a single swing of your blade?”  Lydia asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah?”  Qrow replied, as if it should’ve been painfully obvious to her.  “You never answered my question.”

“Yes, I can.”  Sirille stated.

“Neat, saves me the effort.”  Qrow replied as he dropped the dead animal by Siri’e side of the campfire.

“Why you-”

“Lesson number three, if you’re the leader, or in this case, teacher, you gotta delegate.”  Without further preamble, Qrow sat down on a log he’d tossed over while she and Lydia had otherwise been busy with camp preparations, and flopped down, his hands interlocked behind his head.  It was clear he’d done his chores for the evening and didn’t plan to do anything else until the morning. Sirille grumbled an unflattering curse under her breath once she realized this, but despite being tired, sore, and feeling like she’d been hit by a giant, she set to work with Lydia’s help in getting their dinner together all the same.

By the time they’d finished, the already setting sun had fallen beyond the horizon, blanketing the forested area in darkness that was quickly illuminated by a cloudless, star strewn sky that was further illuminated by what some considered the lights of Sovngarde itself.  Sirille knew better of course, as did Qrow, albeit in their own ways, as waves of pale green and dark blue light danced across the sky, centered around the distant mountainous peaks on every side, the Throat of the World being the most visible, even now. And with Masser filling the sky soon after night fell, there was plenty to see by outside of the flickering firelight of their camp.

“Never thought I’d say it, but I’m rather envious of your night sky, kid.”  Qrow stated softly, his eyes affixed to the beautiful array of stars and dancing lights far above them.

“Is it very different from where you come from?”  Lydia asked, as she paused in eating the deer stew Sirille had helped prepare.

“Yeah, like I told you, we only got one moon, and even that one is shattered, as for the stars… when you are out in the wild you can see them, but then you usually don’t exactly have the time to do so… and I think yours shine brighter anyway, but when you’re in one of the big cities you can hardly see them due to all the light pollution. Guess that's one of the reasons I always liked Patch.”

“Makes sense.”  Sirille stated simply, remembering that Qrow had mentioned Patch was a small island.  “What’s it like, Patch I mean?”

“Meh, nice place to raise a family if you’re into that kinda thing.  A bit too small for my taste, but it’s safe enough from the Grimm since it’s surrounded by water, and what water there is keeps most of the critters from being able to get the drop on folk.  And since space is so limited, the worst thing you gotta worry about are the occasional Ursa Major, which ain’t so bad all told.”

“Ursa Major?”

“Think of a bear, then make it huge and black with white bone plates and spikes that’s trying to rip out your entrails then you’re pretty close.  Not much to worry about, like I said.”

Her food temporarily forgotten, Sirille watched as Lydia blinked, her mouth hanging open slightly, before she asked, “... Just what kind of beasts run around in your world?”

“I’ll give you the list sometime.”  He said it so casually that even Sirille had to blink and gawk for a moment.  She didn’t know what she found more alarming, the fact he was so cavalier about it, or that he had a list he could draw up for them.

“And… you raise kids on such an island?”  She eventually asked.

“Sure, it’s pretty safe, like I said. Yeah, Ruby had to kill the occasional Beowulf pack at her mom's grave, but the pipsqueak always got it done in no time.”  Taking a moment to shovel more of the deer meat into his mouth, Qrow must have read the inevitable question on their respective faces because he said, “Grimm are drawn to negative emotions like flies to shit.  They specifically target Humanity, Faunus and their creations, and it’s been that way since man first popped up on Remnant. Naturally, sorrow, anger, regret are prime appetizers for the Grimm, with us as the main course.  Ruby might not look like it most days….but she misses her mom a great deal. So do I, if ya want the truth.”

Sirille didn’t doubt that for a moment, not with what he’d said before, and not with the way the flickering firelight revealed every sorrowful line of the man’s stubble covered face.  Instead of letting things remain as they were, she asked, “I’ve been meaning to inquire, but just what can you do with this Aura you’ve only mentioned a few times?” The flicker of gratitude in his red eyes was easy to see, even in the dark, and Sirille merely smiled a little in response.  “It seems only fair since I’ve talked about what it is I can do.”

“She has a fair point, Qrow.”  Lydia agreed, just as observant of the man’s darkening mood as Sirille.

“Yeah yeah I get it, Lyd.” He sighed theatralicaly and shook his head. “Alright, it's pretty simple actually. Every living being has a soul, well except for the Grimm, but I’m not sure if you’d call them alive in the first place so there’s that.  Anyway, if you got a soul, it’s possible to awaken its latent powers, giving you Aura, which protects you from harm, makes you more awesome in general. Faster, stronger, tougher, the usual, but that’s the package everyone gets. A Semblance is something different, its unique to every person. Sure there are some exceptions like the Schnee family and their fancy smancy Glyphs and stuff, but most of us got our own little unique power. Some are more useful than others, which depends on what you wanna do with it of course, but most people agree that a Semblance can grow as you do.  It’s shaped as much as by the kinda person you are, as much as how you push it and yourself to new heights.”

“How do you even get an Aura?”

“Some are just born with one, some can get their Aura under extreme stress, but most folk have to have someone help them unlock it.  And yes, I can unlock other people’s Auras, and no, I won’t be doing that for either of you.” Sirille nodded, having assumed as much when his red eyes fell on her first.  Lydia only blinked, her mouth shutting before she could ask after that very thing. “You understand I take it?”

“I do.”  Sirille replied as she raised her right hand, where she summoned gently flickering flames to the palm of her hand.  “My Shouts are incredibly powerful, and I know for certain Ulfric used one to defeat the former High King, Torygg. You’ve seen what a Draugr could do with a fully empowered Shout when he pushed us off that platform.  That’s a power I wouldn’t want just anyone to have access to. You’d need to trust us before even considering it, correct?”

“More or less, but it also comes down to the simple fact I have no idea what it might do if I tried to unlock an Aura here, red.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

“You’re asking me?” Qrow asked amused and laughed lightly. “The harbinger of misfortune?  Interesting choice but I’ll be honest, I got no idea. Likely nothing, it might work as intended, or you get blown to bits and I gotta explain to people why they have to scrape the Dragonborn and her Housecarl off their streets.”

“Huh...good argument.”  Sirille mused plainly while she did her level best not to shudder at the image he’d conjured for them both.  “Still, you can’t blame us for being curious, Qrow.”

“Oh no, I get it kid, trust me.  You’ve seen enough of what I can do, it’s only natural you’d want to find out what you could.”  He agreed before returning to their shared meal. “Mmmm...still, give it some time, I might risk it for you two.  You got a good air about ya both, I doubt I’d regret lending you an Aura.”

“And if you do?”  Lydia asked, more to see what he said than any concern at this point.  Siri was just glad that whatever doubt she had about his character had been dispelled with how he’d saved them both from the Draugr.

Qrow merely shrugged in response before he answered, “Wouldn’t be the first mistake I’ve made, won’t be the last.  It’s life, if you always wonder about what ifs, you’ll never get anything done.”

“I can’t argue with that mentality.”  Lydia agreed before Sirille felt her gaze fall on her next.  “Still, I never did thank you for what you did, Qrow.” She said as she looked back.

He gave her another half smirk and waved her off.  “You might not’ve had a good opinion of me, but I wasn’t about to let ya die, Lydia.  Besides, we’ve only known each other for what, a day, going on two now and I drop the bomb that I was a bandit looking to kill Huntsmen?  I’d be surprised if you did trust someone after a bombshell like that.”

“True, but still-”

“Don’t worry about it Lydia.  You have your job, protectin’ little miss Dragonborn, but you’d have jumped to my defense if our roles were reversed.”  Lydia nodded silently, even as she cast her eyes down to the fire in mild shame at having thought the worst about him before now.

“I would’ve….thought about it for a second or two first.”  She admitted, earning a gruff bark of a laugh from Qrow. Sirille too smiled, glad that, whatever came next, they were at least getting along now.  She went to bed not long after, feeling quite good about what they’d managed to do that day, all told.

The walk back to Ivarstead was uneventful and quite pleasant thanks to the bright morning sun that warmed the otherwise cold region, and while their selling off what loot they could with the merchant in town didn’t go nearly as well as she had hoped, leaving Qrow to carry everything still, Sirille was all smiles for the first time she could recall despite having survived Helgen and worse.  It wasn’t until she caught sight of a flyer attached to the wall of the single guard house by the bridge that led up to High Hrothgar, and her eventual destiny, that she stopped and stared at the roll of parchment, nailed deep into the stone itself. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Is that-”  Lydia began before Qrow reached over and snatched the dirty, weather stained parchment from the wall, tearing a large piece off the top as he did.  The rising, stylized sun in red and orange hues, was still very much visible despite this, as were the words that were emblazoned in a flowing, elegant scrawl just below the symbol.

“A museum opening for the….Mythic Dawn?!  Didn’t you say these guys assassinated an Emperor?”  Qrow asked, showing a truly rare moment of surprise in the time they’d known him as his eyes widened and he openly, if briefly, gaped at what his eyes had read.

“I did.”  Siri stated through clenched teeth.

“Where I come from that’s usually considered a bad thing… unless said Emperor had it coming so… did he?”  Asked a tentatively curious Qrow as he read the simmering anger behind Sirille’s dark gold eyes that, unbeknownst to her, for a moment became slitted and dilated before she blinked, and they returned to normal.

“No, he didn’t.  Him nor his sons in fact from what I know for certain.”  Sirille stated, her face having gone a shade darker as anger colored every word she spoke.  “The very idea someone could venerate a group such as this, is appalling to me. We have enough problems with the Thalmor trying to rewrite history in their favor, and now this?  Dagon nearly ended the world as we know it.”

“So what are we gonna do about it, Sirille?”

“That’s easy.”  Sirille droned as she snatched the parchment back from Qrow’s hand.  She didn’t need to say anything when the roll of paper burst into a cloud of ash moments later.

Visibly taken aback by the less than subtle intent behind the action, Qrow shivered for the first time since they’d met him.  “Point….made. Still, we should at least talk to the guy in charge before we go burning his place to the ground.”

“Why?” She growled out as she clenched her fists around the ashes.  “He worships Mehrune’s Dagon most likely if he’s going out of his way to keep records of the Mythic Dawn’s crimes and their so called achievements against the rest of Tamriel and its people.”

“To find out whether or not he’s the cause or merely a symptom.” Qrow replied and sent her a measured glance.  “You gotta keep your temper in check, kid, lest it gets you into more trouble than it’s worth. If he’s just a puppet, you can burn a hundred of these museums to ash and more will just spring up.  You gotta find the source.”

“And you know how to do that?”  The tone of her voice made it clear she was finding it hard to listen to his damnable logic, but she was at least trying to keep an open mind.

Qrows smile became predatory and Sirille felt a shiver go down her spine.  It made it easier to hear what followed, if nothing else. “Oh believe me kid, I know all about getting the information I want.”

\---------

**Translations**

 

Qiilaan Us Dilon! - Bow to (the) Dead

Neh! - Never!

Hi los ney zonoot - You both have skill

Nuz nii fen ni kos ganog! - But it won’t be enough!

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**End Notes** :  While we didn’t get into it, there’s a reason why Siri hates anything to do with the Mythic Dawn and Mehrune’s Dagon, and it’s not tied into the fact she’s a Dragonborn, one of Akatosh’s chosen.  It plays a part, but it’s not the main reason why she has such a hate on for the group. Feel free to throw a few guesses our way though if ya like. That aside, the fight with Qrow, Sirille, Lydia, and the Draugr guarding the Barrow was, essentially, on Master Difficulty if you want an in-game comparison as to how hard the fights are supposed to be against actually worthy opponents.  True, a lot of the game mechanics won’t play ANY part in this, just like xTRESTWHOx and Jesse K’s story, (and really most game mechanics don’t have a place in stories like this anyway), but it was the most readily apparent comparison we could think of on how truly dangerous things can get for our intrepid heroes. Raven and Taiyang, as well as Zwei and Serana, will also be facing equally if not more so dangerous opponents in the chapters to come, so look forward to whatever comes along, and pray for their survival.

Qrow’s revealing his scythe before epically saving Lydia’s life was probably my personal favorite of this chapter, you can thank Nomad for that.  Hehe, but as for actual character development, the talk around the campfire after the Barrow had been cleared out was pretty good in my opinion. Still, I hope it came out alright in both instances since while I do love writing out combat scenes, I also struggle with writing such an exotic weapon as Qrow’s scythe, and remembering where everyone’s placed, naturally.  That aside, thank you everyone that’s been following along, and we hope to see you again. See ya for now folks!


	7. A Semblance Of Herself

**Chapter 6**

**A Semblance Of Herself**

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**Winterhold**

**The College**

Despite her nightmare that’d woken her up that morning, Brelyna’s company had done much to improve Raven’s mood.  It turned out that, despite her introverted nature, the dark elf girl was quite the conversationalist as they chatted over breakfast that morning, and while she came from a lifestyle that should’ve otherwise made her weak, it was clear that Brelyna was anything but.  True, she didn’t have an ounce of physical combat under her belt, that much was clear simply from the way she walked, but Raven soon saw first hand the woman was possessed of other skills that more than made up for it. While she had no class schedule just yet, Raven still shadowed Brelyna as she made her way to the Hall of the Elements alongside most of the other students she’d seen her first day in the College.  That and….she didn’t really know anyone else, so while she was simply following Brelyna for convenience's sake, inwardly she was still a little shaken up over Yang popping up in her head as she had, and she didn’t want to wander the halls alone.

Entering the Hall of the Elements once more, Raven raised an eyebrow at the row of straw target dummies, some shaped to resemble people, while others were simple circular straw targets complete with a crude bullseye painted on their fronts, on the far side of the Hall.  Having taken in the scene laid out before her, Raven crossed her arms and got comfortable as the students stood in a loose line across the large chamber. She’d seen just enough magic the other day to know they were able to throw fireballs and more around, but she hadn’t expected them to be shooting at anything resembling a person.  But with the way a gold skinned elven woman, if her shrewd, angular features and pointy ears were anything to go by, was looking at them, before leveling her dark amber eyes on Raven last with keen interest, she was willing to bet what lien she had that the instructor was dead serious about equipping her students with the skills needed to protect themselves to some extent.

“Line up.”  The older elven woman stated simply, before her gaze once more fell on Raven.  “You too Ms. Branwen, you might be a guest of our illustrious Archmage Aren, but you chose to come here no doubt to get a taste of what the College can offer you.  Well, since you chose to attend, you get to partake with the rest.” Taken aback more by the fact she was addressing her by name, even if it was her last, Raven blinked only once before mentally shrugging and joining the rest of the students.  Brelyna’s little half smile as she soon joined her on her right was met with a roll of Raven’s eyes, but otherwise she kept her thoughts to herself. It was just as well as the gold skinned elf started to pace purposefully in front of them, her eyes scanning each of their faces one by one as she did.  “My name is Faralda, beyond that you need not know more. Yes I’m an Altmer, and no, I’m not a fan of the Thalmor. And yes, I know a certain ambassador from the Embassy is around, and no, I don’t care. Now that that’s out of the way, can we begin our lesson, or are there any other questions that I’ve not covered yet?”

When no one spoke up despite Raven wanting to know what the Thalmor were, let alone an Altmer, she kept her mouth shut for the time being as Faralda stopped just in front of her.  “No robes, just like someone else I could name. She at least proved she had the gift for magic, but I don’t recall ever seeing  _ you  _ pass an entrance exam like everyone else here.  Tell me Ms. Branwen, can you cast a Firebolt, maybe even a Flame?”

Raven merely smirked, before remembering that her Maiden powers would give her away the moment she tried to do anything.  “I  _ can  _ do magic, but it’s….different from what’s practiced here.”  She said at last as she raised her hand and made a show of trying to conjure up so much as a wisp of smoke.  The problem was that she couldn’t tap into that side of herself without her eyes flaring with a glow that would mark her as different from them, and the last thing she needed was for someone to get it into their head to try and kill her, never realizing they’d be unleashing something far more dangerous into the world as a result.  As such, she lowered her hand with a feigned, defeated sigh and a disappointed shake of her head when nothing happened. “I haven’t been able to get it to work since my arrival.”

“Hmm...well we can fix that, assuming you can harness what gift you claim you have.”  The insult was subtle, but it still left Raven grimacing as Faralda soon stood behind her.  Before she knew what was happening, the elf had lifted her right arm by the elbow while the other kept her arm steady and outstretched.  When she started to jerk away, Faralda whispered gently, “Relax.” Raven sighed but otherwise didn’t resist, and eventually did as she was told as the tension in her body was slowly released once she was sure she wasn’t in any immediate danger.

“Now, close your eyes and open your hand.  Aetherius is where we draw our power, and it follows laws, just like anything else.  Magic can be shaped, crafted, and forged by our minds and our wills, the only thing truly necessary is understanding how.  Now, I want you to imagine a spider’s web, infinite in scope, with each part of the web connecting to one of the five Schools of Magic.”  Raven focused on her breathing even as she felt Faralda’s hand slowly go down her arm, before reaching her hand. When she reached her fingers, she only needed to tap each knuckle for Raven to open her fist a finger at a time, listing off the schools in question as she went.  “Destruction, Alteration, Illusion, Conjuration, and Restoration, each with their own threads in the web, and each possessing a color of their own, responding to a different part of our beings. Pull on the thread you feel the closest connection with, and let that power flow down your arm and out of your fingertips.”

The web in her mind’s eye, per Faralda’s guided meditation, split into five separate colors, with the color of her Semblance, the dark red and black crimson, representing Conjuration.  Green, the color of spring and life itself, was for Illusion. Alteration was a pale blue, the shade of Tai’s eyes, although she’d never admit to  _ that _ anytime soon.  Destruction on the other hand, was a vibrant gold, flickering like the flames that surrounded Yang on a regular basis.  Silver was the last in the web, and despite everything it represented for her, Raven still felt herself reaching for Restoration before she stopped, and instead ‘grasped’ the threads for Restoration.  It was selfish, but she wasn’t ready to call upon anything resembling Summer’s former presence in her life.

A soft whoosh and a strange, almost hollow sounding clang followed as her hand instinctively wrapped around a hilt of a blade that seemed perfectly shaped to her, crafted by her will alone.  Opening her eyes, she wasn’t the only one that was surprised by the spectral, dark purple, rippling curved sword that now resided in her right hand. “Did I…?” Raven stammered, unable to finish the thought since she honestly hadn’t expected it to work.  She’d summoned swords before, but nothing quite like the one that was in her hand now. Yet it refused to disappear even when she swung the blade to and fro, amazed by the balance even if it was a little short for her preferred style.

“A natural Conjurer, a classic Bound Sword right from Oblivion itself.  It’s adequate for a first attempt, and it certainly puts truth to the claim you’ve used magic before.”  Faralda congratulated as she stepped back to the front.

“Hmm, what else can you summon? A crossbow? Bow? A gun? Spears?”  Raven fired off in rapid succession as her summoned sword disappeared, fading into the dark purple portal from whence it’d came in the first place.

“A bow is entirely possible.  I’ve never heard of a gun before.”  Faralda replied, uncertainty etched into her face as she rolled the unfamiliar word across her tongue.

Ignoring her puzzled expression, which was echoed by the other students down the line, Raven asked, “Any particular reason for this limitation of variation?”

“Not necessarily.”  The pale, young Nord man she’d seen yesterday spoke up.  “Sorry, Onmund,” he introduced himself as he nervously wrung his hands now that he was under the class’s collective stares, “but no, Conjuration’s typically shaped by the will of the user when it comes to bound weapons, but you’re essentially taking a Daedric spirit from one of the planes of Oblivion, and reshaping it to fit your needs.  I’ve seen bows and swords, even an axe, but nothing more complex than that. Familiars are a little more open ended, spectral companions that can take the shape of most mundane animals you’d encounter in the wild, but they tend to have personalities of their own. Atronachs are...a little more complicated, and a fair bit more dangerous as a result.”

“Can these… familiars even be trusted? Or do they turn on you when it benefits them in the end?”  Asked Raven as Faralda let the back and forth continue. It was clear that since Onmund knew his stuff, she was content to let the discussion happen.

“You’re thinking of Daedric summons, if you don’t keep a very tight leash on them then they can potentially turn hostile.”  Onmund intoned gravely, his hands no longer bound together as they fell to his sides, but the knowledgeable air, the confidence behind his commentary didn’t diminish in the slightest.  “But while dangerous, when properly called, an Atronach of any kind can be a formidable ally to the wielder. They come in three distinct flavors, Frost, Flame, and Storm, each possessing different strengths and weaknesses and patterns of attack  A Flame Atronach is lithe, feminine in form, yet they tend to favor dancer like movements as they throw fireballs around, making them dangerous at any range while making them difficult to pin down. Ice Atronachs are giant, lumbering beasts made of ice, and they wield the same power with ease.  They’re slow but sturdy, making them good for defensive work. A Storm Atronach is a mixture of both speed and durability since they’re constructed of stones, held together by swirling winds and tendrils of lightning, and they fling the same around when they aren’t pummeling someone to death with the rocks that swirls within and around their bodies.”

“And how are they…bound to this realm? By the caster’s will? Or will they disappear given enough time regardless of the intent of the caster?”

“Both.”  Onmund said before he raised his right hand, and another portal of swirling purple sprung forth in front of him.  Unlike hers, this one was much taller, if slender in size, but it was what stepped out of it that had her attention as a being made almost entirely of flame appeared.  True to form, the vaguely humanoid, female shape wreathed in crackling fire spun and bowed to Onmund before turning ‘her’ gaze on Raven next. “As you can see, she...is bound to my will.”  It took Raven a minute to realize why Onmund had suddenly started to blush, while a few of his classmates snickered into their hands as quietly as they could.

“Hmph.”  Was all Raven would say as her eyes took in the fact the Flame Atronach did indeed seem quite feminine in her overall appearance.  Slender hips, long legs, and what could only be described as a pair of small yet round breasts, even if they resembled such in only the vaguest sense, were quite easy to spot.  Her face wasn’t that far off either as her eyes roved upward, taking in the way the flames seemed to wreath the round, if alien visage that stared back at her. “I fail to see what’s so funny.”  She rumbled to the rest of the class, who immediately fell silent. While she ignored Onmund’s grateful smile, she still noted its appearance as she watched the Atronach disappear without Onmund having to do anything.  It was only once it’d gone back from wherever it’d come from that she saw Onmund drag his sleeve across his forehead, having worked up a visible sweat. “Does it take a lot out of you to summon something?”

“It can, especially if you’re still new to the practice.”  Onmund admitted, confirming his skill with that single sentence.  Still, Raven was silently impressed he’d been so quick to demonstrate what he knew given his overall frail, scrawny appearance.

“That goes for any School.”  Faralda chimed in, regaining control of the class as a whole in the same breath.  “While we draw our power from Aetherius, the fuel for us to even shape our spells must come from within.  Going beyond your ability can cause...problems for you, and possibly those around you if the error is grave enough.  We don’t need another repeat of the scamp summoning incident. They were cleaning up pieces of the student who thought to cheat the rules, for the better part of a week once the scamps themselves had been dealt with.  The smell alone was...quite unpleasant.”

“I see, so someone sought to cheat by using abilities beyond his control? How foolish.”  Raven stated flatly, clearly unimpressed by someone’s inability to comprehend their own limitations.

Not everyone agreed with her assessment of course.  “Hey, someone died! Show some respect for that.” One student protested angrily.

Raven didn’t back down as she stared down the one who’d spoken, while pointedly ignoring Brelyna’s darkening visage from the corner of her eye.  “People die all the time, do you wish for me to grieve for all of them? Why should I care for one who’s died by his own foolish choice? There are others far more deserving of that.”

“You come from a  _ very  _ harsh world, don’t you Raven?”  Brelyna asked as she did her best to keep her voice level.

While her hard scowl didn’t waver visibly, Raven internally flinched for a reason she couldn’t immediately place even as she said, “The weak die.  The strong live. The creatures of Grimm that plague my world makes it a necessity that we fight everyday against their inexhaustible numbers, lest they wipe out every man, woman, and child in their path.  One death is hardly a drop in the bucket, and one brought on by someone’s own stupidity should be a tale of what not to do rather than a reason to mourn.”

“Wow...remind me not to invite you to my funeral.”  Another student muttered under his breath.

“I wouldn’t bother, you’d have to earn my respect first.”  She stated matter of factly, before turning to an all too intrigued Faralda.  The approval she could see in her eyes was what caught Raven a little by surprise.  Most people, like the students and Brelyna, were often offended by her blunt mannerisms, yet Faralda was approving?  Something here didn’t add up for her.

“While she’s harsher than would be considered...polite, she isn’t wrong.”  Faralda stated, her hands disappearing behind her back as she began pacing again.  “One’s own judgment must be sound in order to properly control and harness one’s innate talent for the magical arts.  Many a tragedy could’ve been avoided if proper caution had been heeded, instead of choosing the quick and easy path as many have tried, only to end up as so many broken body parts.  Worst case scenario, your soul ends up eternally bound to a Daedra that then uses its power to fuel its own dark magics.” In a flash, Faralda had raised her hand, turned, and fired an orb of crackling flame towards the farthest of the straw dummies.  Raven simply watched as the explosion rocked the Hall, consuming the target in the same moment while everyone else save for Brelyna and her ducked behind their arms uselessly. Faralda proved her capability as she did the same with an icy spear, skewering another target through the center of its chest before following that with a thunderous boom when lightning split a third down the middle.  “And that’s what I can teach you, control. But first I need to know what you can do. Brelyna, care to start?”

While she didn’t immediately look away from Raven’s face, the dark elf eventually walked towards the row of targets.  Stopping next to Faralda, she narrowed her eyes as her upraised hands began to crackle with power. “Destruction only, for now.  We’ll go through the rest before the class is over.” Faralda ordered, to which she nodded before snapping her right hand up, and shooting a small, fast moving fire bolt at one of the bullseye targets.  It’d barely burned into its center before Brelyna moved again, an explosion, albeit noticeably smaller, following in short order as one of the dummies were obliterated. The last spell Brelyna did, she spread her arms out to either side, before bringing them across her chest in a single motion.  As she did, the floor just in front of the targets that were left lit up, before the stone and masonry exploded upward as a literal wall of flames erupted where she’d ‘painted’ the ground. Faralda nodded approvingly as Brelyna rejoined the line, her gaze once more on Raven’s face.

“You prefer fire, but that’s no surprise given your ancestry.  Dunmer are practically immune given their native environment of Morrowind, but don’t rely too heavily on a single element, Brelyna.”  Faralda cautioned, before turning her gaze on Onmund next. And so it went, with each of the students showing off a bit of what they were capable of as Faralda asked them to perform what they could from each of the five Schools, save for Raven as she stood off to the side once more.  She was too new and inexperienced to Nirn’s form of magic to risk trying anything more than the sword she’d summoned, not with a Hall full of potential, accidental casualties. A thought Faralda seemed to pick up on because other than another glance her way, the Altmer didn’t so much as acknowledge her.  Despite this and her still swirling thoughts, Raven noted everything she saw as spell after spell was unleashed, most of them on what was left of the targets by the time they were done, a few on each other as Restoration, Illusion, and Alteration magic were implemented, with only one other using Conjuration spells.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she felt eyes on her back.  Turning her head alone, she saw Savos standing at one of the doors into the Hall, an openly intrigued look on his dark skinned face.  Before she could begin to wander how long he’d been standing there, the man walked away, just as Brelyna sidled up next to her. She looked to have calmed down a little, but Raven could still see the dark edges around the woman’s red eyes.  “Your world….”, she began, struggling to find the words without drawing Faralda’s attention as the woman continued her lecture, “you said you weren’t a kind person. I’m beginning to understand why if these Grimm are as dangerous as you made them sound.”

Raven remained silent as her words to Yang echoed back in the woman’s ears.  They’d been true, in a way, but like so many things, Raven hadn’t been speaking the truth she had locked deep inside so long ago.  Instead she simply said, “Be glad you’ll never have to find out, Brelyna. Be glad your world has never known the terror the Grimm always bring as they destroy everything we’ve ever tried to hold together.”  Much to Raven’s silent surprise, Brelyna’s remaining….frustration with her melted away. Opening her mouth to say something, she seemed to think better of it and simply nodded her head instead, leaving Raven to wonder what had occurred to her.

Needing time to think, Raven walked out of the Hall, and quickly found herself outside in the inner courtyard.  Her attention was immediately drawn to the blue, spectral, swirling lights that emanated from a grate covered hole in the ground that otherwise looked like a space that would have contained a fountain anywhere else.  Fresh from the class with Faralda, Raven’s mind had fallen back to the web she’d envisioned, and the silver in her personal web that had represented Summer to a tee given which ‘School’ she’d assigned to her former friend.  It didn’t help Tai followed soon after, with Raven’s hand tightening around the hilt of her sword. With a barely audible growl, she turned, pulled her blade, and slashed the air.

She forgot all about her frustration and worse as she gasped when her portal to Tai appeared, just as it was supposed to.  “No….” She moaned softly, having fervently hoped that he hadn’t been dragged along for the ride. The frigid cold and the soft snow that fell from the gray, cloudy sky above suddenly didn’t play into her thoughts in the slightest as she stared blankly at the stable, crimson portal in front of her.  Even when she heard Brelyna’s soft gasp as she caught up with her, Raven could only stare as she let it go, her portal disappearing. “He wasn’t….he shouldn’t be here.”

“The Dragon Barrier- how can you do that?!”  Brelyna stammered, but she could only blink when Raven stormed right past her before turning right around to pace the other way, muttering all the while.  “The Crisis stopped people from using magic like yours, so how can you?!”

“Because it’s not magic!”  Raven shouted as she stopped, turned, and glared daggers on Brelyna.  She calmed, if only slightly, as she looked to her crimson covered sword, and the Dust that she needed to use her Semblance in the first place.  Or rather, it allowed her to use her portals for a fair bit longer without exhausting herself. “It’s...part of what we on Remnant call a Semblance, an extension of our souls, our Auras.  Everyone who has an Aura inevitably gets a Semblance. Mine happens to be the ability to bond with certain people, which allows me to create a portal right to them.”

“Which means this Tai-”

“Is trapped here with me.  And before you ask, yes, he’s….important to me.  Important enough I have a bond with him.” She whispered, confirming the unanswered question that had no doubt crossed Brelyna’s mind.  Sighing heavily, Raven sheathed her blade before sitting down on the edge of the strange, magical fountain, her hands folded neatly beneath her chin while her elbows rested on her knees.  Brelyna stopped just in front of her, her arms at her sides. “I don’t even know where to start with this one, and that’s a rarity since I’m so strong and clever. Tsk….if only people knew the truth.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything, because to use your own words, we don’t know each other, Raven.”  Brelyna offered, stated really, but Raven’s softening visage was answer enough.

“While I appreciate what you’re trying to do, despite that little fact Brelyna, what I said in the Hall was essentially my life up until now.  I’ve...done a lot of horrible things, things I’ve regretted to this day, and some….I’ve done a lot more recently. And all because of a single lie I’ve told myself for years now.”  She didn’t elaborate, but she did sigh and look away as Brelyna sat beside her on the fountain’s edge without a word. “But I’ve had...a lot of things happen in a very short amount of time, things that have shattered the core of what I once believed to be the only way forward, all for the sake of my tribe.”  Rolling her eyes, far more at herself this time, Raven put her hand to her sword once more, but paused as she slowly stood. “I need to make sure my daughter Yang didn’t somehow end up here as well. You might not want to be nearby if this goes badly, that’s how Tai wound up here, with me, after all.”

“Rave-”

“I said leave.”  Walking a few steps away, Raven slowly began to draw her sword, “Besides, if this works, then we likely won’t see each other again, in which case what’s the point of us sharing our life stories further?”  It was harsh, but the truth as far as she was concerned. More importantly, it had the desired effect of finally getting Brelyna to walk away from her, smoke visibly following in her wake as small flames appeared in the palms of her clenched hands.  It was only after she was fairly sure Brelyna was out of earshot that Raven whispered, “I’m sorry….but this is your world, not mine.” Without further delay, Raven slashed the air again, and immediately regretted it when her Semblance again went berserk.  She sighed, prepared for it this time at least as her world turned crimson, and she was flung out the other side in short order. Landing in a crouch in knee high snow, Raven heard a yelp and a dull thud that had snow flying up around what was likely yet another person that had gotten pulled along for the ride.  “Great.” Going towards the just visible imprint of where her unwanted companion had fallen, Raven reached down, and grasped the back of the woman’s robes, only to pull out Brelyna as she gasped and sputtered from the snow that had started to suffocate her. “I tried to warn you not to be near me.”

“Is that….always so rough normally?”  She gasped, Raven having let her go so she could brush herself off, only after she was sure Brelyna could stand on her own.  Not that she’d admit to that of course.

“It only went berserk when I tried to go back to Remnant, using my connection to Yang as the other half of my portal.  Normally it’s a simple walk through my Semblance gates, with only a brief period in the space between. At least now I know for sure.”  Looking towards the horizon as she slowly spun in a circle, it quickly became clear that they were far from Winterhold since none of the scenery she could see from the mountain they were on didn’t match anything she’d seen around the College.  There was no scent of the sea, no giant blocks of ice or fields of iceberg like islands going off into the distance, and no town of any kind having been set on the otherwise impassable terrain. Well, impassable for most people, but not her thanks to Ozpin’s little gift.

But while Winterhold had been frigidly cold, the College at least had been bearable for the most part.  Out here, it was another matter as Raven watched her breath turn into mist with every exhale, and what parts her armor didn’t cover immediately started to feel quite cold, so much so Raven didn’t like their chances if they remained exposed for too long.  Grasping at the ‘web’ once more, she raised her free hand, and smiled minutely when fire sprung to her fingertips without her having to dip into her Maiden powers. A quick glance towards Brelyna said that she had had the same idea, although the angry glow to her red eyes said that they weren’t going to be on talking terms for a while.  That was fine, they didn’t need to like each other, so long as they were able to make it back to the College.

_ Assuming you don’t just leave her to fend for herself. _  Raven mused, and even considered turning into her bird shape so she could fly off, but she dismissed it just as quickly.  While there was a chance there were those that could do the same thing she could, she didn’t want to expose her abilities without a good reason, and with the strong breeze whipping through the mountainous terrain on every side, she wasn’t about to take the risk with her little raven wings.  As for her Semblance, between the fact it was the reason they were in this mess in the first place and her only still functioning connection was with Tai, well….she wasn’t quite cold enough yet to go running back to him at the moment. She’d done that once already at the start of this, and the result spoke for itself.  So with a silent jerk of her head towards the east, Raven started walking, gingerly picking her way down the the only pass she could see that wouldn’t require them to climb barehanded.

Brelyna, proving ever the observant one, naturally asked the last question Raven wanted to think about.  “Why don’t you just open up one of your portals to this Tai you supposedly care so much about?”

“Because I don’t know where he is, if he’s among friends, or if he’s knee deep in trouble.”  Raven countered, not about to get into the very….complicated history between her and the rest of Team STRQ, specifically between her, Tai, and….Summer.  “Knowing him, it’ll be the latter, and knowing him, just showing up in the middle of it would be just as dangerous for us as it would be for whoever he’s likely fighting against.”  She turned, grabbed the front of Brelyna’s robe, and glared right into her face before hissing, “And I  _ do  _ care about him, more than my own life, girl.  Don’t ever suggest otherwise again.”

“You- have a strange way of showing it.” Brelyna managed to choke out, even as flames weakly flickered in her hands, all too aware that she wouldn’t get the chance to cast them if Raven didn’t want her to.

“Tsk.” Raven scoffed and pushed her away before rolling her eyes at the Dunmer.  There was more than a little contempt in her eyes as she all but growled, “You know so little about me, my world, my life, and yet you are so quick to judge me, to question my every decision.  I loved him, as one can only love someone with whom they’ve shared their life with, had a child with, fought alongside one another, and safeguarded each other’s lives. What would you know of such hardships?  Until you have experienced what I have, you cannot understand. Until then I suggest you stay silent regarding matters that are beyond you.” Having said her peace, Raven stormed off, half tempted to turn into a raven despite the risks just so she wouldn’t have to contend with Brelyna a moment longer.  Instead, her eyes fell on a tower of stone, most of it covered in snow and ice, off in the distance, nestled between a valley that would hopefully lead them back down to far more even ground.

“I’m far from inexperienced.”  Brelyna muttered as she joined Raven on the edge of the cliff they’d stopped in front of, taking in the view.  “I’ve had friends taken by the Thalmor, although to hear my some of my family tell it, they were deserving of being tortured and eventually executed for trumped up charges, some of which were innocent of any wrongdoing.  I’ve seen Bosmer run down in the streets on my way to Skyrim, slain simply for being what they were in the purges that ‘don’t happen’. And I’ve seen….I’ve seen enough death on the way here to last me a century, so don’t think you’re the only one that’s been through Oblivion.”

As much as she would’ve found Brelyna’s attempt to stand up for herself admirable at any other time, Raven was too angry to respect the girl’s gumption as she nimbly jumped down the short drop down to the next snow bank.  She didn’t offer any help to Brelyna, leaving her to climb her way down, which gave her time to retort with every angry thing she’d been holding back since waking up in the College. “Oh? And you think such trifling things are enough?  Where is your personal connection here, hmm? Friends, taken by the Thalmor? Have you tried to rescue them? Or did you merely mourn them, claiming as so many do that you were too weak to change anything? I’m not even suggesting a revolt, merely saving those you cared about, so did you?  Were you far off when the deed was done? You watched as Bosmer were slaughtered? Did you do anything then? Or just watch? You’ve seen death? Hmph, let me tell you something, everyone sees death sooner or later, some are fortunate enough to only see the peaceful kind, others lack such fortune. I brought death, girl. Do you have any idea how much I’ve killed for the sake of those I’ve fought for?  For the sake of what I believe in? What have you done for either? You ran away from the one, justly so admittedly, and never managed to stand strong in the name of the other. On Remnant we have a name for people like you… Cowards. And it is always them that complain the most, that accuse others but do so little themselves. Is this who you want to be, Brelyna?”

Raven knew she’d crossed a line, and wasn’t all that surprised when Brelyna jumped the rest of the way down, her red eyes glowing with more than the curse from Azura as she threw her flaming hands out to either side.  Rolling her own, Raven crossed her arms and waited for the inevitable attack. The arrow that flew between them immediately got their attention as movement at the tower followed soon after. Much to her credit, Brelyna stormed past, her hand snapping up as a second arrow zoomed at her chest, only for it to strike a shimmering field of magical energy.  “We’re not done.” She growed without looking at the woman now behind her.

“I’d be disappointed if we were.”  Raven countered, lazily plucking a third arrow fired at her from the air and twirling it between her fingers as she sent a challenging look at the Dunmer. “After all, this is your chance to prove me wrong… or right, depending on your choice, girl.  The weak die. The strong live. It’s a simple rule to live by.”

“Says the woman that was having nightmares.”  Brelyna snapped back under her breath, not quite softly enough.

“Hmph.” Raven replied with a shrug that could only partially hide her discomfort. “Yet I actually have reasons for my nightmares.  I have to wonder if you can claim the same?” Her blade snapped up then, cutting through the fourth and fifth arrows that flew towards them as they neared the tower, their proximity allowing whoever was firing at them greater accuracy.  That didn’t matter once they got close enough for blade work though, as Raven charged ahead towards the closing gates, the wooden bars slamming down to stop them from entering. Raven didn’t even slow down as she cut through them, her Aura only amplifying her sword’s sharpness, which allowed her to easily cut through even the thickest of the wooden bars.  Segmented in three places in the span of a heartbeat, the bars fell away, allowing her to jump through the newly created hole without breaking her stride. “What are you waiting for?” She challenged the heavily breathing Brelyna as she struggled to keep up. “It's time to get some answers from our would be assassins!”

“Azura give me the strength to endure her.”  She heard Brelyna wheeze between her heavy breathing, but otherwise Raven’s focus was on the dozen or so people currently rushing the destroyed gate.

That was their mistake.  Raven had been a fierce warrior even before she became the leader of the Branwen tribe, and despite her new surroundings, that hadn’t changed in the slightest as the first man found out as she rolled to her feet, blade leading.  The crimson colored Dust, further augmenting the power behind her Aura enhanced swing, cut right through the man like a hot knife through butter. Without an Aura, something Raven noted but filed away for later, and without the armor to even hinder her blade’s edge, he was bisected as she passed in a lightning fast strike, her blade sliding through a second man’s body without ever slowing as she cut through him seconds later, putting her on the other side of the twelve man group.  The fireball that slammed into their right flank consumed three more, turning them into piles of ash and pieces of fur lined leather armor, but it broke their momentary paralysis at the same time as Brelyna lowered her smoking hand, having cleared the gate just as Raven came to a stop.

Whatever their aggravations with each other, Raven nodded minutely towards the Dunmer before lazily blocking a downward strike from the nearest bandit.  His simple steel longsword was cleaved apart, her open offhand slamming into his face which had him stumbling back as she spun. Jabbing her sword out behind her, she skewered the man, her head ducked down just enough so that his companion’s swing ended up taking his fellow bandit’s life.  Crimson blood spilled across the snow covered stones as Raven came up in a vicious headbutt, knocking back the second man, who she followed by slamming her sword hilt into his exposed belly. Twirling her blade so that it was lined up with his chest before he could begin to stand again, she drove it home through his steel breastplate, where she left it as she rose in a single fluid motion.  Another wild, furious yell telegraphed the arrival of another, but she merely stepped to the side, yanked her sword free of the dead bandit, and spun in place, slashing across the man’s back as he passed, having severely overcompensated and thus, ended up stumbling forward two steps too far.

Brelyna was far from helpless as she waded in, hands ablaze and her red eyes narrowed to slits as a fellow female, if Altmer, elf fired from the tower’s roof.  With a contemptuous wave of her hand, Brelyna shielded herself again, and fired off an attack of her own without breaking her determined stride. Part of the wall near the roof was blasted inward from the fireball she unleashed, sending a second archer stumbling back with a cry as he was pelted with stone fragments on the flight of stairs he’d been trying to run up while the first fell from the crumbling floor she’d just been standing upon.  She hit the ground hard, the sound of her neck snapping the last sound she ever made. Far from finished, Brelyna jerked her hand towards a spot on the ground some feet ahead of her, and a swirling, purple portal appeared at the marked spot, where a Flame Atronach appeared. “Destroy those that are left!” She commanded, not that she needed to since the flaming creature had already started to move towards those Raven had yet to cut down.

Beginning her run forward to those same targets, Raven slowed as one man inexplicably went up in flame before she could reach him.  Her eyes immediately snapped towards the flame covered creature as it danced and spun about the blood soaked battlefield, leaving a thin trail of fast fading fire wherever it floated past.  Snapping her blade up in front of her face as one last archer desperately fired towards her, Raven rolled her eyes at the futile attempt to stop them as Brelyna’s summoned pet returned the volley with one of its own.  While the fireball missed, Raven didn’t as she closed the distance to the man as he scrambled for cover, only to see her waiting on the other side of an overturned table by the western guard wall. His terrified scream was cut off when his head left his body in short order.

Swinging her sword one last time, Raven watched as what blood and gore that hadn’t been flung from the blade was quickly turned to steam thanks to the Dust still infusing the steel with its reality tearing power.  Sheathing the sword with the same ease it’d left its sheath, she started back towards Brelyna, her eyes immediately flicking towards the Atronach when it took a knee, and disappeared from whence it came, before the Dunmer collapsed to her hands and knees, exhausted.  While her hard scowl didn’t change, Raven soon stood over the prone slip of a woman, her hands on her hips. “You actually did well, Brelyna.”

Slowly stumbling to her feet, Brelyna’s face turned to stone at the backhanded compliment, but whatever she’d been about to say never made it past her lips.  Instead, she shoved Raven aside before she started to raise her right hand. Turning with the shove instead of falling to the ground, Raven felt her blood turn to ice as an arrow zipped out of the open door at the base of the tower, where the second of the archers stood.  Brelyna stumbled back a step, then a second, from where the arrow slammed into her stomach before she fell forward, breaking the arrow’s shaft near her torn flesh.

_ Not again…. _  Raven’s mind whispered hoarsely as she watched Brelyna fall.  No longer caring much about the consequences of what she was about to do, she closed her eyes as the bandit, desperate to survive, fumbled with his second arrow.  It wouldn’t have mattered if he had been able to get it to the bowstring, because Raven’s eyes had started to burn.

“ **_ENOUGH_ ** !”  She shouted, her voice booming with unbridled authority and unmistakable power as she levitated a foot off the ground.  She didn’t bother to bat aside the second shot as she shot forward, she simply her Aura, enhanced by her Maiden powers, simply shove it aside the moment it hit.  He didn’t get a fourth shot off before her open hand was clamped like a vice around the front of his face. Where her hand touched, his flesh flash froze, but unlike Cinder, she didn’t stop moving forward as she dragged his iced over body to the back of the tower.  Slamming him against the unforgiving wall, he promptly shattered like glass.

She barely paid his bloody remains a second glance as she shot right back out of the tower, a thin, pale blue tinged with white light trailing behind her until she stopped just as suddenly.  The flare around her red eyes died down, but the burn remained as she flipped Brelyna onto her back, her breath ragged and her hood having fallen at some point, revealing her pain filled silent scream to Raven as she panted and coughed, one hand trembling as it pressed against the bloody arrow wound.  “It’s...it’s still-”

“I’ll get it out, but you aren’t going to like how.”  Raven promised, understanding what Brelyna was trying to say.  Dragging her to the tower, she slung one arm over her shoulders, while the other Brelyna kept pressed against her stomach as best she could despite every step being a small agony for her.  Still, she made it, which only served to impress the bandit leader as she got Brelyna to a mostly clean table at the left side of the tower. With a wave of her hand, her eyes flaring once more, Raven slammed the door shut by sending a wave of wind at it, all while the other she used to rip open Brelyna’s robes where the arrow still resided, what little of it she could see now.

“It...couldn’t have been almost any-anywhere else, and neither of us has R-Restoration magic, or potions.”  Brelyna groaned when she caught a glimpse of her bared, blood covered flesh. Raven didn’t need the elven woman to tell her stomach wounds were almost always fatal.  She’d seen enough gunshots, claw swipes, and sword slashes that had resulted in an almost constant mortality rate without modern medicine to stave off infection, blood loss, and worse depending on where said wound was located, how deep, and what had ended up cut in the first place.

“I’m  _ not  _ letting you die, Brelyna!”  Raven’s defiant gleam to her red eyes silenced Brelyna further as she darted towards a nearby shelf, glad there were enough basic medical supplies and tools she could at least use to the same effect.  Glad there was a firepit in the center of the tower, she threw a ball of fire at the piled up logs, not that she planned to use it for what she had in mind. A fingertip burst into flames, which she used to run over a dagger’s edge without touching it with her skin, heating the blade until it glowed a vibrant orange.  Setting it aside, she sterilized the rest of her makeshift surgery kit as quickly if efficiently as she could before at last turning to Brelyna. Picking up a long leather strap, she shoved it lengthwise between the dark elf’s teeth. “You bite that and don’t let go, you don’t move, and you don’t fall asleep, understand me?!”

Nodding her head as best she could, Brelyna braced her hands on the side of the table, her knuckles turning jet black from the strength of her grasp on the wood.  Splinters was a distant concern for them both as Raven quickly cut the rest of the girl’s ruined robes away right down to her long matching pants before pulling the tattered cloth to either side.  Picking up a pair of crude looking hooks attached to long wooden handles, Raven glared down at Brelyna one last time, before beginning to probe the wound. As she’d expected, Brelyna screeched and threw her head back, but otherwise remained still while Raven continued to try and find where the arrowhead had wound up.  Simply pulling the shaft out was out of the question since it could’ve gotten stuck on her intestines, the inside of her stomach wall, or any number of places of the same. Tearing it free would just as likely hurt her more as it would detaching the arrowhead, which would make it that much harder to safely remove.

While she was focused on the task of getting the arrowhead, and thus the rest of the shaft, free of Brelyna’s body without hurting her further, Raven still saw the tears running down her face as well as the way her veins visibly stood out along her neck and forehead.  “I almost have it.” Scraping one of the crude, recently heated hooks along the metalic head, she grimly frowned as she finally got it wedged underneath, and started to work it back out as best she could. The shaft fell as the head came disconnected, but Raven had it hooked and out moments later.  Breathing easier as one, Brelyna closed her eyes and slumped, her arms hanging limply, but the slow if pained rise and fall of her chest assured her she was still alive.

Thanking whatever good fortune they had, Raven grabbed the handful of crude bandages she’d found during her initial search, and pressed them against Brelyna’s wound.  The immediate crisis was over, but she had no way of knowing how bad the damage was. Glancing down at her blood stained black gloves, a thought occurred to her. One that was born of the same desperation that had driven her to save the woman in the first place, but with so few options, far from any any kind of help, she had no choice.  Besides, Brelyna, while the action had been ultimately pointless thanks to her Aura, had still selflessly tried to protect her. That mattered to Raven, as few things could to someone like her.

So it was that she let the bandage go, and instead pulled her bloodied glove off.  Pressing the palm of her hand against Brelyna’s chest, Raven closed her eyes, before opening them again as she reached for something that went beyond the physical realm.  Finding what she was looking for as an image of the woman’s soul filled her mind, a vibrant, flame wreathed blaze that was equal parts untapped potential and surprisingly soothing warmth, which coalesced into the vague shape of Brelyna in all of her glory and frailty, Raven bowed her head in something akin to reverence to this woman’s hidden beauty, laid bare before her eyes as she stretched out her Aura to the Dunmer.

When contact was made, that same blaze filled Raven’s soul with its warmth, soothing away anxieties she had long since grown used to living with, if only for a moment, before she pushed it back, overtaking her soul with her much more powerful one.  But she didn’t do more than simply ‘touch’ the center of Brelyna’s being, raven feathered wings encircling Brelyna in a protective cocoon. All the while, words flowed from Raven’s lips, calling forth the power she had joined with the Dunmer’s in a ritual some considered sacred beyond all measure.

“ **_For it is in risk that we gain survival._ **

**_Through this, we become a paragon of duty and sacrifice to outlast all others._ **

**_Infinite in reach and unbound by ties,_ **

**_I release your soul, and by my hand, set thee free._ ** ”

The flash of crimson over them both was there and gone in the same breath, but once it was done, Raven stumbled back a step, and closed her eyes as a wave of dizziness overtook her.  It passed almost as quickly, and by the time she looked up, Brelyna’s breathing had leveled out as the small hole in her stomach began to close up right before her eyes. It’d take the better part of an hour, but Raven knew she’d be fine now.  Her Aura would take over, enhancing what regeneration she required to make a full recovery.

And from what she’d felt while they’d been almost two pieces of the same whole, she had the potential for great things indeed.  Looking down at her bare hand, Raven slumped onto the table’s edge, her back to Brelyna as she finally let the tears begin to fall.  “I could...really use your help out here Summer.” She whispered, glad no one could hear her as she let her head fall back so that her long mane of black hair touched the blood stained table between her and the unconscious Dunmer.  Wiping her armored sleeve over her eyes, Raven sighed and stood to her feet, grabbing her glove as she went. The least she could do was prepare for whatever came next.

\---------------------

**End Notes** :  I am SO glad I was able to find someone on Reddit had come up with a lot of ideas for mantras for the various characters.  Each one was pretty amazingly put together all told, and while the Qrow one I was kinda ‘meh’ over, the rest were pretty good, but Raven’s was perfect for this whole situation.  Both want freedom in their own respective fashions, and both are willing to fight with everything they have, again in their unique ways, to achieve their goals. Brelyna might be shy and introverted, but some of her dialogue points to a strength and compassion that’s hard to ignore.  Raven is strength personified, but her insecurities and shortcomings make it difficult for her to think beyond herself and her tribe, save where Yang and Tia are concerned. And despite what some people think to the contrary, I legitimately think that Raven did the responsible thing rather than the selfish thing, by leaving Yang with Tai when she was still a newborn.

While she likely told herself otherwise, I’m willing to bet that Raven knew that the tribe was no place for a child, especially with her becoming the new leader.  Her enemies would’ve likely tried to kill Yang to get at Raven, or the Grimm might’ve hit the camp, or any number of potential disasters might’ve struck, all of them ending the same way.  And while she COULD have left as Qrow did, I also think that Raven did the responsible thing in reshaping the bandits into a force far less….well, bloodthirsty than what they were. True, they still raid, pillage, and steal, leaving destroyed settlements ripe for the Grimm to finish off, but I don’t think it’s half as bad as it used to be is my thinking.  From what Raven and Qrow have both said in their ways, I firmly believe the old tribe was...far worse than the one we see in Volumes 4 and 5. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy and I’ll see you next time. Adios and as always, Nomad’s assistance in certain parts of this were invaluable. Take a look at his stuff over on FF.Net if you haven’t already. He’s a pretty good writer as well in his own right.  See ya and thanks for reading!


	8. Alone With His Thoughts

**Chapter 7**

**Alone With His Thoughts**

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**Solitude**

**City Streets…**

Heading back to the training yard within the Palace’s walls, Tai sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, his mind on what he’d discussed with Angela and Vivienne.  The alchemy lesson aside, despite Angela’s repeated claims she wasn’t a teacher on the subject, Tai’s thoughts kept turning to the task the old Breton woman had asked him to fulfill, and how similar it all felt to Summer’s disappearance and subsequent death, at least….according to Qrow.  He hadn’t thought to ask, not with how he’d shut down emotionally, and by the time he’d come back to his senses, there’d just...never been a good time, especially since Tai had never really been able to be in the same room with Qrow for any extended amount of time. Now though, now Tai wondered if he shouldn’t have asked for the details of what had happened to Summer.

Shaking his head since it was pointless now, he walked towards the front gates of the city, remembering Angela’s previous customer, who she said had belonged to the Imperial Legion, a Nord man by the name of Captain Aldis.  A good man, but one that wouldn’t give out general posting information due to the Legion’s standard protocol from what the two women had been able to tell him. That didn’t deter Tai all that much since he could be  _ very  _ persuasive when the need arose, and he’d promised to do his best to help Angela find a measure of closure, a promise he intended to keep.  As such, he headed for the front gates of the city, having remembered the man had wandered in that direction when he’d first seen Angela’s shop.

He slowed though when he saw a gathering in front of what he immediately recognized as a gallows, with a single man prepared to be hanged.  While it was rare, the occasional public execution was still carried out in Remnant. The crowd gathered around the wooden platform were shouting either their support or their hatred of the sentence being carried out, yet Tai could only cock his head and listen as Aldis and a man called Roggvir, argued amongst themselves as much as with the crowd that seemed to be as equally divided on the matter.

“There was no murder!  Ulfric Stormcloak defeated High King Torygg in honorable, fair, and ritualistic combat!”  Roggvir protested vehemently, while the guards and Aldis kept their hands on their weapons, their postures becoming more tense as the crowd grew louder in turn.  Encouraged either by Roggvir’s shouts or their own mounting anger with each other, Tai couldn’t have said, but he felt like the city was a Dust bomb preparing to ignite.

“You let Ulfric escape after he’d murdered the High King, fair combat or not, by opening the gate for him, Roggvir.  You’ve been charged of the crime of high treason and sentenced to die. Guards, prepare the priso-”

“Don’t bother, I know the way.”  Roggvir spat out, before he visibly seemed to deflate somewhat as he looked towards the crowd as he was helped down to his knees.  “I go to Sovngarde this day!” The Stormcloak supporters shouted their agreement as Aldis sighed but nodded for another to loop a noose around the man’s throat.  The Imperial supporters shouted their counterparts down as best they could, before both groups fell silent when a nearby lever was pulled. The bottom dropped out of the gallows beneath Roggvir’s feet, and the sound of his neck snapping followed soon after, making even the battle hardened Tai grimace while everyone else either cheered or groaned in sympathy or open discomfort.  Aldis, despite being an Imperial soldier, looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but on that stage as he shouted a few last orders before making his way down. With the execution over, everyone else scattered, going back to their lives, with only a few stragglers remaining behind.

“Damn you, Roggvir.”  Aldis muttered as he walked right by Tai without acknowledging him.  “You could’ve at least told me what you had planned. I might’ve tried to get you out of the city at the very least.  Better that than letting your niece see you die.” It was only after the words left his mouth that he jerked his head towards Tai, who’d been standing in the middle of the road with his arms crossed over his chest, and sighed in resignation.  “You saw that little show I take it?”

“Yep.”  Tai replied, his face a study in sympathy for the man’s obvious dilemma.  “I’m sorry you were put in that situation at all. Friends on the wrong side of a war….I’ve seen the scars of that in my own way.”  The Great War back on Remnant had certainly left a lot of people with similar problems to contend with, with families torn apart as men and women ended up executed as traitors once it was all said and done.  Most had thankfully been sent home, disgraced but alive, others though hadn’t been so fortunate. Whatever the case, Tai had known his share of people on both sides, and most had simply been soldiers trying to protect their homes as best they could.

Captain Aldis nodded, having read as much on his face as he relaxed, unaware that Tai wasn’t from around Solitude.  “You have haven’t you? That’s reassuring at least, but this whole situation is worse because Roggvir is-...was a good man.  Honorable but stubborn, as any true Nord tends to be.”

“Honorable and stubborn? Those are usually the ones that clash the most with others.  Strong people refuse to bow down in the face of adversity, rather than succumb to the burden life puts before them.  So they cry out against such injustice… but not everyone is willing to respect that. I’d know,” Tai chuckled, as he pointed a thumb towards his own chest, ”I raised two girls that are pretty stubborn in their own ways.”  Aldis smiled and even huffed a quiet laugh with a shake of his head.

“What are their names, friend?”

“Ruby and Yang.  You have any kids?”  Tai asked, genuinely curious as he fell in step with the Captain.

“Unfortunately no, at least none that I know about.”  Aldis replied as he started away, his destination clear as the Palace began to loom ever closer.

“Well, you seem young enough to start your own family, so I suppose there’s no need to worry.  Better to wait for the right person.” Tai said with a shrug and a smile of his own.

“Well said, though I cannot help but think that you haven't come here to talk about family.”

Tai sighed but nodded as he rubbed the back of his head with one large hand.  “I did… in a way. Though admittedly not my own. A herbalist is worried about hers, and apparently the Legion is unwilling to give her any information.”

“Angelina.”  Aldis sighed and slowed, while Tai grimaced but nodded, confirming the man’s suspicions without a word.  “And she sent you to try and get me to break protocol.”

“I wouldn’t normally ask,” Tai replied as he stepped around the man so he was walking backwards just ahead of the good Captain, “but she wants closure.  And...that’s something else I can relate to, because I lost a...very close friend a long time ago in a similar way. If there’s anything you can tell me about Fura, anything at all, it’ll put Angelina at ease one way or the other.”

Aldis sighed, stopped, and ran a hand down a bearded face that suddenly looked fifty years older.  Blinking slowly, Aldis nodded his head in resignation. “I’d...been meaning to tell her the truth for some time now, but there...was never a good way to tell her, or a good moment to do so.  I guess I’ve been putting it off at this point.” Tai sighed, realizing the news he had wasn’t good, which Aldis confirmed moments later. “Fura disappeared on patrol not long after she got to Whiterun, the rest of her group having been killed and left for dead.  It’s been generally assumed it was the Stormcloaks, but from the reports I’d received at the time, I’m not so sure. For one, the attack was in the middle of the night, and it looked like Fura’s group was ambushed with precision. Stormcloaks are many things, but they aren’t typically fans of anything short of honorable, straightforward assaults.”

“What do you think attacked them then?”  Tai asked, the Huntsman in him making it hard to ignore a possible threat like this.

“Honestly? I wouldn't be surprised if it were damned vampires at this point but… the wounds don't match either, and the bloodsucking fiends are usually more subtle…it's almost as if someone is trying to escalate the conflict here in Skyrim. Just earlier this month, the Forsworn have been unusually aggressive towards both our own men and the Stormcloaks.  There’s been a lot of reports that just don’t seem to add up.”

“Have you brought these concerns up before General Tulius? Have these… events even been investigated?”  Tai asked as he locked step with Aldis once more.

“I did mention it to the General and he agrees with my assessment, but at the same time we’re far too hard pressed to investigate all these instances. We’re at war, dragons show up, and bandits roam the land.  We just don’t have the manpower needed to do so.”

“Well, I might be...new to the area, but I’m no stranger to bounty work.”  Tai offered, and shrugged when Aldis stopped just in front of the training yard once they’d passed through the castle’s front gates.  “I could at least try to clear up the area if nothing else. Keep an eye out for anything that might make sense of what’s going on out there.”

“I’d be willing, I’d have to see if I can’t requisition some gold from the General to help fund such a venture, but honestly, I doubt he’ll say no.  We need all the help we can get at this point.” He trailed off, struggling for a name that Tai had forgotten to give. “My apologies sir, but what do I call you?”

“Oh!  Hah, right, sorry.  Taiyang Xi-”

“Xiao Long?  You aided Sybille Stentor in clearing out Pinemoon Cave.  I didn’t realize you were the same man.” Aldis beamed, his earlier melancholy forgotten for the moment as he nodded approvingly.  “Vampires so close to the city was worrying more than a few of us in the guard, but you and Sybille decimated them, gave some closure to the families of the victims at the same time.  That couldn’t have been easy work.”

“No it wasn’t, and it’s just Tai, Aldis right?”  Aldis nodded, but while his smile had died down somewhat, it was still visible beneath the long, brown haired beard that otherwise framed his angular, if smooth skinned face.  “I’ll admit, I’d never seen a vampire before yesterday, so I had no idea what I was in for.”

“Yet you still took them down, that speaks of your skill, as well as your standing as a person with what you and her did afterwards.”  Aldis firmly stated, proud and genuinely touched by what Tai had accomplished, albeit in a respectful fashion, from one soldier to another.  “If there’s nothing else, I have boys to train into men, and gods help us all if they don’t become soldiers when the time comes and Ulfric attacks Solitude.”

“Good luck to ya Aldis.”  Tai said in parting before turning his gaze towards the Palace.  He’d need to let Sybille know what he was up to before he left, if for no other reason than he owed her that much with all she’d done since letting him out of that cell on faith alone.  Furthermore, he hoped that she’d be kind enough to provide him with a map, as he was going to need it sooner or later. Aside from that, he was certain that she was just as interested in these happenings as the Legionaries were.  And there was one other problem he wanted to discuss as his hand fell to the coin purse at his side.

It took a little bit to track down Sybille, and a bit longer to get what he needed from her, but between her directions and the map she’d been happy to provide, especially when he’d told her why he needed it at all, he was feeling pretty good about his chances as he made his way to a brickwork building near the center of town.  “Well, it’s no Vale Certified Bank, but it’ll work I suppose.” Tai mused, his hands on his hips before he reached for the door handles, and pushed them inward. The small number of other patrons were already there, tending to similar affairs as they walked up to a number of counters, with people tending to circular orbs Sybille had assured him served in a similar capacity as his Scroll, albeit in a far simpler, if magical capacity.

A red scaled, horned...lizard, an Argonian, blinked pale green eyes and nodded in Tai’s direction once he was free of his latest customer.  “Ah, new customer, yes? Gold hair, blue eyes, Nordic in appearance, yes I believe I know of you sir. Ms. Stentor sent word ahead, Mordin Nimarush at your service.  Are you here to open an account?”

“I was hoping to yeah.”  Tai replied as he sidled up to the counter, Mordin’s clawed fingers moving with delicate precision as he tapped at the crystal ball in front of him, before a series of numbers and empty fields in the form of a sign-up sheet of sorts appeared between them.  “Nice! Sybille said this place could handle my business, I didn’t think your...magic had come along this far though.” Technology wasn’t the right word, given the locale, but Mordin’s eyes gleamed in amusement all the same at the praise.

“You are far from the only one to have said so Sir Taiyang.”  Mordin chuckled, his deep, if pleasing voice, unusually human despite his very inhuman appearance.  “Now, let’s get you squared away, shall we?” The next ten minutes saw Tai filling out the form that had been conjured up by the Argonian.  It was a simple enough task though, and it reminded him of the fact that he’d probably have a house payment to take care of once he got back.

It was when he was asked for a password to secure his account so he could access it from any bank across the Empire that Tai paused, his smile flickering before disappearing altogether.  “Summer Raven.” He said eventually, and while Mordin didn’t visibly respond save to tap in the chosen passcode, Tai mentally sighed since for anyone that might’ve been listening, the source of his sudden discomfort would likely be written all over his face.  He was glad then that Qrow wasn’t around, because he could already imagine what he’d have said to his using Summer and Raven’s names as he had.

“Thank you for your patronage sir.”  Mordin said, drawing Tai out of his thoughts as he finished inputting the information he’d provided.  “So, can I help with a deposit while you’re here?”

“Oh, yeah if you would.”  Tai said as he fumbled the coin purse from his hip before dropping half of the coins onto the counter, which Mordin quickly put onto a nearby scale, taking a measure of how many were present simply by their weight.  Nodding in approval, Mordin quickly made them disappear, with the number on Tai’s account increasing accordingly. “Thanks, have a good day Mordin.”

“You as well Sir Taiyang.”  The red scaled Argonian replied as Tai started for the door, fumbling the knot of his coin purse back onto his belt as he went.  “He’s going to get eaten alive.” He muttered to himself once Tai was gone, a note of disappointment audible in his voice since Taiyang had been kind to one such as him.

Unaware of the glowing vote of confidence from Mordin’s lizard lips, Tai made one last stop to a nearby merchant shop, dropped off what loot he’d collected from Pinemoon Cave, and traded what coin he’d been given as he purchased a full set of camping supplies before setting out, but not before going back to Angelina’s shop.  She received the news about as well as he’d expected, but with promises to try and find Fura if he could, she was at least smiling again when he’d eventually left. By the time he’d left Solitude, the sun had reached about early noon, and while it was still chilly, it was a mild discomfort at best as he started down the only real path down the high hill the city resided upon once he’d made it through the guarded checkpoint, situated on a wide, stony bridge that spanned a gorge between the city and the rest of the countryside.

He’d barely left the bridge before a sound, like air being sucked through a hole, along with a low swirling hum, reached his ears.  He knew that sound, and turned quickly to see one of Raven’s portals had appeared between two trees, out of eyesight of the guarded bridge he’d left behind.  “Raven?” Tai whispered, too stunned to speak louder than that as he instinctively headed towards the crimson portal. He slowed though when no one came through, and eventually stopped just in front of it.  It lingered there only a few seconds once he had, only for it to disappear, leaving Tai with so many questions. He knew one thing for certain though, Raven was here on Nirn, which meant that he wasn’t as alone as he’d thought.  Feeling an immense surge of relief despite just as quickly realizing that Raven might be in trouble, even with her considerable might and power, and that he had no idea where she was, Tai shook his head and started towards Solitude’s docks instead.

Navigating the crowded docks as men offloaded ships, some as small as simple skiffs and cargo runners, to a pair of massive galleons, their wooden hulls heavy with countless goods, Tai let his mind wander as his eyes took in the sights on every side.  She’d be fine, and she’d been able to take care of herself for this long. He cared about her, he didn’t want her to come to harm, but she’d chosen to remain with her tribe. She’d chosen to leave Yang with him, alone, and if not for Summer stepping up as she had in trying to help him take care of her, Tai seriously doubted he’d have managed half as well as he had until Summer disappeared before being pronounced dead a few years after Ruby was born.  And then there was the fact a portal had just opened up in front of him, with no indication otherwise that Raven was alright, if she even wanted him around. The feeling was mutual despite how they’d parted on...better terms before her Semblance had went berserk just a couple days ago now.

“Yeesh…”  Tai sighed as he slung his heavy pack down onto the edge of a wooden dock, before he sat down on the edge, his booted feet just touching the water’s surface.  “I really hope Ruby, Yang, and their friends are alright.” He muttered, his gaze on the gently lapping waves, the constant ebb and flow of the water quite soothing for his frayed nerves.

It was then he happened to look down into the water, and frowned when a bloated face stared up at him.  “What the-....oh Brothers.” He groaned, realizing that there was a dead guard at his feet that had chosen only that moment to surface once more.  Getting up from the dock, Tai ran a hand down his face and sighed since he’d seen enough crime, having taken a few elective courses and missions with the local police back in Vale during his Beacon days, to know not to touch the body himself.  Belately hoping his pack would still be on the edge of the dock by the time he got back, Tai didn’t relax even when he was able to find a patrolling guard soon after getting back to the stony shore. “Excuse me, you need to get Captain Aldis and close off the docks.”

“Wha- who are you?”  The young woman, her skin a dark brown, asked as she blinked owlishly at him in abject confusion.  “And why do we need to seal off t-”

“Because one of your people are dead in the water.”  That got her attention as Tai pointed to the dock he’d just been sitting on.  “Captain Aldis is at the training ground at the Palace.”

Unable to argue against the unwavering authority in his voice despite merely being a civilian, the guard saluted shakily before running off to follow his command. “R-right.”  She stammered, only to wonder once the crisis was past why she’d been so quick to listen to him.

Tai meanwhile stood by the dock, his hands on his hips as he examined the body as best he could despite the water distorting the image below.  The fact the man’s throat had been cut, his sword either lost or taken, and his coin purse cut, all pointed to a simple mugging, but it was the fact his uniform was also missing suggested something more.  The skin was bloated, wrinkled and bleached suggested that the man has been in the water for a longer amount of time already, but coupled with the visible wounds and the fact that his corpse had floated to the surface, he could conclude that the man was already dead when he was thrown into the water.  Turning when the sound of many booted feet rushing towards his position reached his ears, Tai nodded his head towards the man he’d discovered quite by accident. “One of yours?” He asked Aldis once he’d shouted orders for his people to keep the area clear of the other dock workers and their assistants.

Kneeling next Tai as both men started to pull the dead man out of the water, Aldis grimaced in recognition.  “Nikos. Damn it! He went missing three days ago on patrol when he was going up to the nearby lighthouse.”

“Someone took the time to strip him of his uniform and his sword.”  Tai pointed out.

“Which means they’re likely impersonating one of the guards.”  Aldis agreed, coming to the same conclusion he had before he glanced up at Tai once they’d gotten the body on the dock between them.  “You know your way around a crime scene?”

“I’ve studied.”  Tai grinned, albeit grimly before he pointed a finger towards the man’s bloated and water logged face, the bleached color to his skin.  “He was killed first, then dropped into the sea once they’d stripped him of what they needed. And since he was killed while patrolling around this lighthouse you mentioned, it’s probably safe to assume whoever did this is after a ship that’s bound to arrive soon.”

“The Icerunner, an Imperial vessel, full of weapons, armor, supplies, and an unspecified item, a dragon claw of some kind.”

“I see… he was submerged in the water, probably was for the past three days unless he was interrogated first.  The cold water slowed down the decomposition, I would need to examine his body more to get further info, but the way it looks to me, he fought with his attacker before he was killed.  Perhaps whoever did the deed left some sort of hint behind.” Seeing the man’s right hand was clenched around something, Tai only took a moment to pry his fingers open, ignoring the sound of the man’s fingers breaking from the severity of his rigor mortis.  Seeing dark green scales tinged with gray, Tai picked one up and held it to the light, both for his own perusal but also so Aldis and his people could see what he’d found. “ _ Argonian _ you know?”  He asked, earning a half hearted chuckle at the lame attempt at humor.

“No but most are unique enough that it shouldn’t be hard to figure out who those belong to.  Are you up for staying up tonight Sir Taiyang?”

“Are you suggesting a stakeout?  Cause I can do a stakeout.” He beamed, needing to find the silver lining in this grisly affair.

“An ambush was more my thinking, but I suppose it’s the same thing.”  Aldis agreed.

“So the two of us close by, and another team of guards ready to move in when we send the signal I take it?”  Aldis nodded and stood, with Tai following close behind as he slung his pack across his shoulders. “Neat. When do we get started?”

\--------------

“This isn’t what I had in mind.”  Tai muttered as he peered out from the underbrush, within full sight of the lighthouse.  The melting snow underneath his crotch was the reason for his discomfort, but it was a minor one even as he grimaced and shifted about.  The night chill wasn’t helping of course, but between his robust demeanor and his Aura, coupled with his Semblance, where most people would’ve already been much colder, Tai was simply uncomfortable.

“We couldn’t afford to set up a tent, not without drawing unwanted attention.”  Aldis replied as he and a battlemage from Solitude’s guard force laid in the dirt on either side.

“Are you sure it is wise to have a civilian with us, sir?  Even one as….accomplished as Sir Taiyang, this is a matter for the guards.”  Their battlemage protested, and not for the first time since they’d set up position.

“I’d rather he be here than not, Lieutenant.”

“But-”

“Enough, you’ve brought up your concerns multiple times now, and I’ve given you my reasons each time, now I ask you to accept it.  We cannot become distracted.” Aldis was kind about the rebuttal, but the man still reeled back a little as if he’d been struck. No surprise since Tai knew the type, having seen his share of soldiers the few times he’d had to work alongside Altas personnel and their ‘tin cans’, as Qrow typically called their sentient machines, and he used the S word very loosely.

Still, Tai turned to the hooded man on his right and nodded his understanding as to why he was so against his being around.  “Hey, I get it, I’m just some guy that walked in from the rain as far as you’re concerned. I can take care of myself though, so don’t worry about needing to protect me or anything.”

“It’s not that….I just...it’s nothing sir.”  The man trailed off, his face flushed with shame at having made the same protests against Tai, only for him to try and reassure him.  “I guess I just don’t like the thought the same man who found Nikos is now with us, claiming to help us look to catch his murderers.”

“Ah, got it.”  Tai chuckled but again nodded in understanding.  “Can’t say I blame you for being suspicious, but here’s hoping you don’t feel the need to blow me up or anything.”  As usual, Tai’s perpetual if honest cheer had even the hooded soldier at his side smiling a little before his earlier scowl returned.  The Nord man remained silent, his thoughts kept to himself, but Tai could still all but hear the way his mind turned, trying to make sense of it all.  “You have good instincts by the way.” He assured the young man, who looked towards him with a start. “Don’t lose that edge, but don’t become so paranoid it becomes a problem.”

“I-I’ll do my best sir.”

Aldis, he saw when he turned to the captain, only smiled approvingly at the way Tai had encouraged the man despite his suspicions directed at him.  Turning his gaze to the cloudy, star strewn sky, Tai frowned when he let his gaze fall to the shore, and the rocks that led up to the lighthouse itself.  There he saw a single guard, accompanied by several people in similarly black armor, all of them wielding weapons and torches. Without a word, Aldis signaled for their mage to get ready to alert the others before he and Tai started to move forward as silently as they could.

“Are you sure you can handle that many?”  Aldis asked as he pulled a heavy, well made longbow from his back.

“I’ll manage.”  Tai replied as he all but bounced on the balls of his feet as he started ahead of him.  The ‘guard’ he saw had since moved to knock on the door, with his black armored companions ducking down behind the rocks that faced the single door up to the lighthouse fire itself.  Tai, not one to look a gift Goliath in the mouth, bent down, picked up a small rock, and flicked his wrist almost lazily. The rock he’d thrown however, shot forward with an fiery orange glow, which hit the guard in the back of the neck with pinpoint accuracy and with such force that he slammed into the door, face first before stumbling back and falling flat on the stony floor around the lighthouse itself.

The seven black armored mercenaries could only gawk at the impossible sight before one turned, gaped, and started to raise a crossbow, only for Tai to clamp his hand down on the bolt before it ever had a chance to leave the weapon.  “Sorry to  _ rock  _ your evening.”  He quipped, before he slammed the man’s own crossbow into his face before stepping back as a second swung a sword in his direction.  Elbow checking him, Tai grabbed the stumbling man’s arm and ducked behind him as a third fired off his own crossbow. The gurgling scream that followed as his ‘shield’ bucked told him enough as he let him drop, a steel tipped bolt lodged in his right lung, and decked another who tried to rush him with an overhead axe swing.  The axe wielder stumbled back, lost his grip on the single bladed implement, only for Tai to grab him by the front of his armored shirt, and bodily throw him over his shoulder as a fifth started to rush him next. They both went down in a tangle of limbs, cursing and snarling at each other until he knocked their heads together, mindful of the fact these people had no Aura to speak of.

He had to mindful, he was here for answers and justice, not indiscriminate bloodshed the likes of which he had unleashed in the caves against the undead. Of course, his current opponents didn't make such things easy, as they quickly proved to be rather enduring of the punishment he dealt out and were all too eager to retaliate, though they seemed more concerned with keeping him occupied for long enough to kill his companions before attacking him with all they had.  Which meant he’d have to step it up as four of the seven that were left, broke off to harass Aldis and the battlemage, while those he’d knocked down stumbled to their feet once more.

Thankfully, his Semblance had been building up a charge this whole time as he caught a bolt fired at his chest, only to fling it back into the offender’s hand, trapping it against the firing mechanism.  Screeching at the pain, Tai ignored him as he ducked and weaved around an Argonian’s whirling blades, before he just as quickly found an opening, or rather, he made one. The haze around Tai’s body became an inferno as he flared his Semblance, unleashing it on the mercenaries.  Night became day as he let off the charge he’d built up in a single, area of effect flash of light and heat that forced the closest to stumble and grab at their stinging eyes even as their exposed skin and scales were burned, the worst of their burns turning black almost immediately.  And suddenly, only three were left, which quickly became a sole survivor when Aldis fired his bow into one man’s throat, while the battlemage drove a spectral axe into another’s chest. Wisely, the woman, who could only gape at the devastation that they’d wrought, threw her twin axes to the ground and put her hands behind her head in a clear sign of surrender.

Those Tai had literally burned were too out of it to fight any longer, making it a simple task for Aldis and himself to secure them.  “Reinforcements are on their way Captain.” The hooded man stated, having sent off a ghostly looking wolf towards their rendezvous point.

“Excellent…  now we can get to the bottom of this.” Aldis said with a satisfied grunt and whiped away some of the sweat that had appeared on his forehead. “It seems that we’re in your debt, Sir Tai. You have helped us a great deal in a short time, is there anyway I can thank you for that?”

“Just…reassure Angelina that someone has been sent to investigate Fura’s disappearance.  That's all I ask of you.” He was more wanting Aldis to go there himself, to see Angelina now that she had at least part of the answer as to what had happened to her niece.

Realizing what he was really asking, Aldis sighed but nodded in agreement to what Tai was asking of him, “Very well, I’ll do so, although I fear she won't be happy to see me after my previous blunder.”

Putting a hand on the man’s shoulder, Tai’s eyes met his, his words weighted with hard earned experience.  “She’ll forgive you, just don’t keep her in the dark again.” Letting his hand drop, Tai turned to the younger of the two and let a ghost of a smile form on his lips.  “As for you kiddo, keep that edge and it’ll take you far. Just remember what I said.”

“I...I will sir, and I apologize for thinking the worst of you.”

“Heh, you wouldn’t be the first.”  Tai said, his smile taking a wistful edge as he remembered how Qrow had reacted when they’d first met what felt like a lifetime ago now.  Their introduction to each other had been….less than pleasant. Shaking his head, Tai nodded one last time to the pair before heading east, away from the lighthouse, away from Solitude, and into the wild countryside beyond.  With the sea to his right, Tai pressed forward, his eyes just catching sight of a ship making for the shore where he knew Solitude to reside, the light of the single moon illuminating the vessel against the otherwise pitch black night.  “At least they made it alright.” He mused, wondering why they were carrying a strange dragon claw among a shipment of weapons and supplies for the Imperials. A puzzle for another time he supposed, and one that didn’t concern him in any event.

He made camp a few hours later, his strength from using his Semblance having waned considerably more from disuse than anything.  It was similar to the way muscles behaved. If trained properly, one’s Aura and Semblance would work far better and more efficiently, while disuse had the opposite effect.  His time staying at home and training children had done their part in dulling his fangs a bit, but none of his skill had waned, it was merely a matter of repeating the old lessons and get himself back into shape.  His sparring with Yang had certainly helped in that regard, but he couldn’t help but stare into the fire he’d set that evening, wondering what his girls were doing, if they knew he was even missing? He honestly hoped not, since they had enough to worry about without adding his not being on Patch any longer to the list.

Morning came several hours later, and Tai rolled out of his tent with a contented smile despite having no real destination in mind.  True, he wanted to find Raven as soon as he could, eventually, but marching across Skyrim, seeing what this world was like outside the safety of a city’s walls?  There was no way he’d pass up the opportunity, especially since there was no Grimm to contend with. And to be perfectly honest, it was probably a good way to find Raven as well, as he had no idea where she could be, it was good as plan as any to travel as far as he could, looking for signs of her.

Once he’d broken camp, Tai turned ever so slightly away from the crashing waves of the ocean, making his way inland, until he came upon a number of small, if fast moving, rivers and streams that cut through the land, creating small islands just ahead of him, a few of which just big enough to support a few, scraggly trees.  To his right, Tai could just make out what looked like ruins, but he had no reason to explore other than curiosity’s sake alone, so he kept on walking, picking his way across the few rocks that stuck out of the running water. A few close calls as his boots slipped on moss and slime didn’t deter him though, and soon enough he’d managed to reach the other side without a problem.  An old, ramshackle wooden shack that looked like it hadn’t seen use in a long time, caught his attention once he was safely on the far shore, but again he passed it by without a backward glance. Something about it gave him the creeps, and his instincts, while rusty, were still reliable.

Consulting his map, Tai frowned in thought when a number of ruins and caves popped up, as well as a distant town called Morthal, just southwest of his current position.  There was also another just at the edge of his current location, and when he got close enough, the vague outlines took on more definition as the name, Dawnstar, appeared in fluid, elegant script.  Deciding it was the closer and more easily accessed of the two, despite the fact he could also see what looked like a couple of camps that he wanted nothing to do with, Tai put his map back with a hum before plodding ever onward.  Humming listlessly as he went, Tai glanced to his left only to spot more ruins, and started to turn his head back to his chosen path through the thick underbrush-

Only to catch a flash of black fur as a wolf leaped out of the bushes just ahead of him with a menacing growl.  He snapped a hand up so quickly, the wolf’s jaws snapped shut with such force, several of its teeth wound up cracked as it fell to the ground just behind him in a heap.  The rest of its pack wisely decided to find much easier prey, while the one he’d put down limped away, a pitiful whine emanating from its shattered jaws. “Sorry, but I already have a dog.”  It was a lame apology, and an even worse attempt at a joke, but Tai shrugged it off as the wolf looked over one shaggy shoulder, its gaze reproachful, as if silently asking him how he could be so cruel before loping away.

Ignoring the wolf’s departing whine, Tai pulled the straps of his pack tighter across his shoulders.  Another couple hours of walking later, with the sun having risen enough to warm him and the ground, and Tai saw what he quickly identified as a Stormcloak camp just ahead of him on its own little hill that overlooked the mostly empty fields on every side.  The blue bear motif flag, the animal’s cheek marked with a swirling black tattoo, was a dead giveaway as to who owned the log walled encampment, several of its walls ringed with long, sharp looking spears, and spike lined pits dug into the ground. Guards patrolled the walls, but they were looking for Imperial companies, not a lone traveler like him, although Tai knew being spotted would still draw their attention his way.  Something he could  _ really  _ do without.

Going around the northern side, keeping on the far side of the road as much as he could, Tai kept expecting to hear shouts of alarm, but nothing happened.  Even when the underbrush and trees he’d been using as cover gave out to open ground and piles of snow, which only served to expose him to any eyes looking his way, no one noticed as he eventually left the camp behind him.  Breathing a little easier once he was sure no one could spot him, Tai took off at a fairly brisk pace, smiling to himself as the adrenaline and anticipation bled off from having avoided detection.

Following the road more openly, despite having a largely straight shot to Dawnstar from here, Tai marched well into the afternoon before taking a few minutes to eat some trail rations from a pouch attached to his belt, before setting off once more.  His eyes set towards the horizon, he wondered where he’d be alright to set up camp if he didn’t see Dawnstar soon, when he spotted movement some distance off to his right. Narrowing his eyes as he rounded the bend in the road, he slowed as the black blobs began to take shape, their robes threaded with gold and the curved, shiny metallic blades at their hips and the shields a couple carried on their arms marking them as a cut above the mercenaries he’d dealt with just last night.  But even at this distance, the gold skinned elves, all of them with their hoods pulled up to keep the sun from their eyes, gave him a very bad feeling he couldn’t immediately explain as they turned, almost as one, towards him.

Despite the ill feeling he got with the way they were looking his way, Tai waved and put on his best smile.  That was a mistake it seemed, because the leader paused, put a hand to the blade at her hip, but seemed to think better of it as she instead leveled a smirk his way once they were close enough to see eye to eye.  “Heya.” Tai offered as kindly as he could.

“A traveler, alone?  Not many would greet a Thalmor patrol so openly.”  The woman intoned matter of factly as, on some unspoken signal, the rest of her group began to surround Tai.

“My wife always said that strangers are friends you just haven't met yet, who am I to disagree?” Tai replied with a shrug, still smiling widely even as he took in each movement the elves made. “Can I help you?”

“A Man such as you?  I doubt it.” The woman snorted in amusement, as if she found the idea utterly absurd, a thought Tai realized, the other five seemed to agree with as they snickered openly.  Before he could begin to make sense of why they thought it was so funny, while noting the disdain they leveled his way, the woman spoke again, “Although….you might be able to answer a question, Nord.”  She said the word as if it were a foul tasting sludge, unfit for her particular palette, “Do you know of any that worships the false god Talos by chance?”

“No….can’t say that I do. Never been the religious type to be honest.”  It was the truth, since even back home, Tai hadn’t had a lot of room for any of the remaining gods that people held to, the Brothers included.  He was far more focused on the fact that he was being examined like a particularly interesting bug though, so when the woman started to reach out a hand, wreathed in some kind of green light, Tai was ready.

“Now why don’t I believe you?”  She asked, only to snarl when his hand clamped around her wrist like a vice.

“I guess I just have one of those faces.”  He was no longer smiling as his eyes turned a vibrant gold once more.

“Take him down!”  The woman barked, but it was the last thing she ever said as Tai jumped back and to the side as another of her men dashed forward with his sword, only to end up striking her across the chest.  The curved blade tore right through her arm as she frantically tried to protect herself, but between the hand he’d had on her wrist and the sudden movement from Tai, she had no chance to do anything more than scream.  “Justiciar Thramihle….I’ve...failed you….” She wheezed as she fell, her arm hitting the dirt a few feet away, much to her companions’ horror.

It was only a few seconds lapse, but it was enough for Tai to lay out two more of them with a elbow slam to both of their faces on either side when he’d landed.  Unlike the mercenaries, these Thalmor proved far more dangerous as they recovered quickly, drawing their swords and readying their shields before moving to intercept him as one unit.  Two moved in together, forcing Tai to backpedal and weave around their synchronized attacks while the third knelt down to one of the men he’d elbow checked, pale white and orange light dancing around them both until the downed elf began to stir.  Finding an opening when one of his attackers overextended one swing ever so slightly, Tai grasped the man’s hand, pulled him close, and spun underneath the limb while tripping his feet up as he passed, disarming him of his sword as the robed elf fell to the dirt.  Spinning, blade in hand, Tai blocked a slash to his chest before following it with one of his own, only to hit against the man’s shiny, metallic shield that looked vaguely reminiscent of the wings of some giant bird. Spinning with his reversed momentum, he ducked, slashed, only to miss as the elf jumped back, the curved edge cutting through his robes as it passed.

By then the healer had gotten the first of the downed elves up, who quickly joined the fight when he leveled a long, crystal capped staff towards Tai.  The crack of lightning, followed by waves of numbing energy, had Tai grunting from having to take the blast against his Aura, but it was the sword that slammed into his chest that had his undivided attention.  He merely smirked though when all it did was make his skin flash with vibrant gold light. The elf was stunned just a moment too long before Tai’s clenched fist slammed into his nose, snapping his head back in the same breath.  Turning towards the mage, Tai darted to the side, a flash of gold a trailing light which marked his passing, just as the man he’d disarmed stumbled to his feet. He was just in time to take a fireball to the face, turning him into a pile of ash on the spot.

The mage had all of two seconds to realize Tai was in front of him.  Stunned, he didn’t resist when he snatched his staff away before promptly snapping the metallic rod like a twig over his knee before casting the pieces aside.  The heat came next when Tai smashed the hilt of his stolen blade into his stomach, his armor doing little to nothing to mitigate the sheer force behind it, and he wound up curled up on the ground, idly wondering if his vitals were still in one piece after such a blow as the world went black.

Looking towards the second of the men he’d elbow checked, he was only mildly surprised to see the man coming towards him, appearing none the worse for wear, with a blade held ready to attack.  A lightning quick jab that shattered his wrist and a second strike that pushed the firmly held blade into the bearer’s own chest dissuaded any notions of further attack. Hearing a the sound of parting air coming from behind him, Tai ducked out of the way of another blade just in time, his leg shoot out on instinct after that, shattering the knee of his attacker.  Another pinpoint snapkick silenced the woman when her airway was crushed in short order.

More came, their coordination nothing to scoff at, but they were less than their total number.  As his hands found another weak point in another, more heavily armored Thalmor, he saw two of their number running off, apparently understanding that the odds were not in their favour, leaving their comrades to die.  Perhaps he should’ve felt guilty about killing those that had been abandoned by their own comrades, but considering that he hadn’t provoked any kind of attack, he just couldn't bring himself to actually do so. That and something about the way they’d been openly sneering at him suggested they had an unhealthy prejudice against most anyone else, or just Men in particular.  Either way, the few times he’d heard Thalmor brought up in Solitude had always been with the same disdain, and fear, he dimly recalled as he flipped another of the elves over his shoulders before stomping down on his chest, hard.

Another bolt to his back gave Tai pause as more lightning crashed against him, just in time to stumble onto a strange glowing rune that had been left at his feet.  When his foot touched down, the ground exploded with frigid ice and frost, draining his already depleted Aura, and even going so far as to diminish his charge as the flames and heat he’d been generating up until now dimmed considerably.  “Okay…” He grunted, and promptly shot forward, his open hands aligned with both of the mages’ faces. Dragging them to the ground, both hit the dirt with bone crunching force, mulching their smug, arrogant smiling visages in the same instant.  Spinning and twisting to the side, Tai saw an arrow zip just by his cheek, his eyes snapping towards the lone, trembling archer as she fumbled another arrow to her bow.

Darting forward, he pinned her up against the tree and dragged her up by the front of her armored corset, his golden eyes burning with his barely contained Semblance.  “Now I got some questions, I’d answer them. Why did you attack me?”

“You’re a pitiful Man, a mere Nord!  How did you-” She screeched and shook her head when he slammed her into the trunk of the tree at her back.

“There’s no need to be rude you know.  Besides, I’m the one askin’ the questions, goldilocks.”  Tai stated, his face a study in controlled anger as he smiled, as if they were old friends sharing an evening meal by the fire.  “Now, I suggest you answer them before I have to bring up a few tricks I learned from my first wife.” The fact that he had learned those same tricks while training with her as well when she’d lived with him was somewhat of a fond memory for him.  It’d been one of the first steps of really getting to know Raven, and well, considering that he hadn’t run off screaming afterwards, she’d been inclined to share more with him. It’d left a bad taste in his mouth, true, but when placed against his own survival, a little...forceful persuasion seemed a small price to pay.

He didn’t have to as the woman nodded shakily in agreement to his terms.  Lowering her ever so slowly so her feet were touching the ground once more, Tai kept his hands wrapped tightly against the front of her robes, his fingers clasped tightly into the metallic armor underneath, so much so it groaned in protest, a fact that didn’t escape the Thalmor’s notice.  “It’s our job to arrest Talos worshipers, as well as any suspicious individuals. People that have garnered the attention of the Thalmor for one reason or another.”

“And these reasons would be?”  Tai asked.

“P-people like a newly discovered Dragonborn for one, and someone like you, wielding magic unknown to us.  Political dissidents, spreading lies about who truly ended the Oblivion Crisis, rebels that refuse to fall in line.  The list goes on.” Only a few people he knew could say so much with so few breaths, yet the woman he held pinned against the tree seemed determined to put even Ruby’s breathless rambling to shame.

“And people you just don’t like?”  Tai asked, to which the woman looked away, her silence answer enough.  “Why the hate for Men?”

“Why wouldn’t we when Tiber Septim destroyed our home thousands of years ago?”

“You guys just tried to kill me minutes ago, should I  _ really  _ start hating all Thalmor?” He asked her with an eyeroll and when she opened her mouth to respond, he cut her off. “It was a rhetorical question.”  Letting her go, Tai sighed and started away, but not before throwing a warning over his armored shoulder. “You might want to consider a new line of work.”

“You’d have me betray the Dominion?!  My Queen?! Are you touched by Sheogorath or just stupid, even for one of your kind?!”

“Well...if you ever meet Raven, she’d probably say I  _ am  _ stupid for letting someone like you go, but I’m the forgiving kind of guy.”  He even went so far as to give her a smirk over his shoulder, but the glow to his eyes brightened, a silent warning of its own that she wisely heeded as he walked away.  It was only when he was sure that he was no longer being pursued, or watched, that he let the glow to his eyes die down, returning to their normal blue once more. The ice from the rune trap he’d stepped on had thankfully melted away by then, but he was still uncomfortably cold even with the lingering heat of his Semblance taking the worst of the chill away.  The crash came next, but with Dawnstar finally in sight, he did his best to ignore the sudden spike of exhaustion that hit him. “I really….need to get….back in shape.” Tai wheezed, putting his hands on his knees as he bent to get his breath back, chuckling grimly at his inability to get through even a single fight like he used to.

Having to stop to eat once more, Tai doggedly pushed on, not about to be caught outside again with potential Thalmor stragglers looking to take him down.  But between his slowing stride as fatigue threatened to do what the Thalmor couldn’t, and the sun having gone down, bringing an increasingly pronounced chill with every passing moment, Tai stumbled a step, flailed as dizziness hit him like a physical blow, and eventually fell to the snow covered ground.  Distantly he heard people running towards him, flickering torches in hand, and knew no more….


	9. Manifestations of the Soul

**Opening Notes** :  In hindsight, I could’ve taken a little longer on that Tai chapter last go around.  Still, despite the damn hurry I seemed to have been in at the time, I think it turned out okay overall.  That said, I’ll try and take more time on this one, especially since it’s Zwei and Serana. :D Speaking of, for those Critical Role fans out there, a little of Vex’ahlia’s personality shines through Serana this chapter, (mostly because both ladies share the same voice actress).  Feel free to let me know if you spot it. :D At any rate, enjoy the show folks!

 

**Chapter 8**

**Manifestation Of The Soul**

 

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**Riften**

**The Bee and Barb Inn**

“Did it...go alright?”  Aerin asked once he’d reunited with her and Zwei back at their table some time later that evening.  A simple nod was all the answer Serana would give as she rested in her seat, appearing less like she’d just escaped from her own tomb now that she’d bathed and had her clothes laundered after her encounter with Grelod.  A wash and clean clothes did little to mitigate her discomfort however, but if Aerin noticed the way she bit her bottom lip, or furrowed her brow, he made no indication of having done so. Smiling openly if sadly, he slid over a small but still heavy looking coin purse.  “Thank you, truly, for setting things to rights in Honorhall.”

“It...didn’t go as I’d have liked.”  Serana admitted as she hesitated only a moment to grab the pouch, before slipping the coins into her own before she could change her mind.  Sliding the empty purse back towards Aerin, who naturally asked for clarification, Serana reluctantly elaborated. “You’ve have likely heard from Constance by now if you’d stopped by the orphanage first, she says hi by the way,” she added, to which Aerin blushed but otherwise remained silent, “but Grelod’s not going to be a problem anymore.”

“You k-”

“Things...things were much worse than you knew, Aerin”. Serana interrupted, “The things she did to those kids….She was proud of what she’d been doing.  When I stepped in, she pulled a knife on me and attempted to kill me to cover up her crimes.” The flash in her orange eyes, and the way her pale face twisted into a furious scowl did more than her words could’ve achieved on their own as Aerin tensed, fear appearing on his face in short order.  A plaintive whine at her side from Zwei cooled the vampire’s temper somewhat, but the glow to her eyes was slow to diminish. “Just be glad things are going to be better for those children now without Grelod to darken that place.”

“Al-alright.”  Aerin agreed, slow to relax until Serana’s eyes stopped glowing.  She was glad he didn’t ask why her eyes were able to do that at all.  “I guess a deal’s a deal in any event, but was there really no other way?”

“None I was able to consider with her knife in my chest.”  Serana retorted dryly with an unamused shake of her head. “I doubt the Jarl would’ve helped if I’d gone to her anyway.  Not without a hefty payment when no one was looking, at least.” When Aerin sighed, his eyes darting to a nearby table, where the woman he’d mentioned currently resided with a heavily laden plate in front of her, Serana raised an eyebrow inquisitively in response.

“It’s hard not to notice, isn’t it?  Mjoll’s...been stewing over it since she recovered from her injuries.”  Folding his hands underneath his chin, Aerin’s face fell in resignation, his small shoulders sagging in turn.  “Mjoll...she’s like most Nords. Honorable to a fault, driven to help anyone she can, and she thinks she can take on the whole world, and some days I even believe it.  But there’s little she can do when Maven Black-Briar all but runs Riften, and the Thieves Guild are allowed to do as they please.”

“That’s not my problem,”  Serana replied, but held up a hand to forestall Aerin’s rebuttal, “but I agreed to help, and I will.  Just don’t expect me to care. I’ll help her get her sword, but it won’t be to help you. I just...need the gold.”  While that  _ was  _ true, her earlier reasoning still held, about wanting to get them together since it seemed like a genuine feeling, at least on Aerin’s end anyway.  She hadn’t talked to Mjoll yet, so she couldn’t form a solid opinion just yet about their possible future together, but while she was likely hoping for too much, Serana didn’t think Aerin would’ve fallen for just anyone.  “Where do I need to go?” She eventually asked.

“A dwemer ruin called Mzinchaleft.  It’s not far from Riften, but it’s an exceedingly dangerous place.”

“Of course it is.  The Dwemer made it.”  Serana replied dryly, remembering many stories she’d heard about the ‘dwarves’ that had mysteriously disappeared not long before even she’d been born.

Regardless of her reasons, Aerin seemed satisfied as he bid her a good day, rubbed the top of Zwei’s head on his way past, and left their table, with the dog panting happily beside the vampire’s feet.  Sighing to herself, she finished her wine, stood, but before she got three steps away, the door to the inn opened, and a chill immediately followed as Serana glanced at the new arrivals. A soft inhale as she quickly turned away had Zwei looking up at her, concern in his whine, but she hardly heard it as she returned to her table and sat back down, hoping they’d not see her.  She knew it was an empty hope, and sure enough, the three vampires that had just walked in all turned towards her, the leader smiling coldly as he all but strutted, like a bird with its chest puffed out, to stand over her table. “Molag Bal be praised, but you really  _ did  _ find your own way out of that crypt after all.”

Zwei, sensing the danger, kept silent as he inconspicuously slunk deeper into the shadows, while Serana rolled her eyes at the Imperial that towered over her.  He was well built like many veteran soldiers, which was no surprise since Serana knew for a fact he’d been in the Legion at some point, although to hear Siroxto Greguleius tell it, he’d been a part of St. Alessia’s personal guard.  She highly doubted that, if for no other reason being that even before he’d brought Molag Bal to her family, he’d always had a few bolts loose. Of course, that wasn’t saying much about her or her family since they’d accepted the Daedric Prince into their lives, all of them drunk on the power he offered through Siroxto, but that’d been before Serana had woken up to the truth of just what had been done to them all.  Now, seeing Siroxto brought her nothing but dread despite his handsome, dark skinned, hard jawed face, a long smooth scar the only imperfection on his right cheek. A scar he’d acquired during his days as a mortal. Long, dark brown hair tied into a ponytail framed his face, but like any Volkihar, his eyes glowed with the same orangish light as hers did.

The wrinkles and sunken cheeks though gave her a measure of reassurance however.  “Siroxto. It’s been a long time.” She said curtly, before crossing her arms over her chest.  “You brought friends, Siroxto? I’d have thought you’d come alone.” The Altmer woman and her Dunmeri companion weren’t familiar faces, which meant they were likely new to the clan.  A closer look revealed the Dunmeri man hadn’t even been embraced, his eyes a dull red still. Curiouser and curiouser. “A thrall, or a follower, one other Volkihar, and you. It seems my father’s power is on the wane.”

“Attempt to goad me all you wish.  It won’t work, childe.” Siroxto chuckled darkly as he casually sat down across from her, the longsword he’d kept on his back now resting beside him against the table, his hand resting on the skull tapped hilt.  “Vampire hunters calling themselves the Dawnguard have been….problematic for us, and someone utterly decimated the group sent to Valerica’s crypt, a crypt where we found your trail. Lokil never had a chance from what my eyes told me.  I’d very much like to meet the person responsible for such loss. Lokil was a fool, and I think they deserve to be commended for disposing of him.”

Serana had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing as Zwei, who had since moved behind the elder vampire, perked his ears up at the mention of his handiwork.  “Careful what you wish for Siroxto. They might be closer than you think.”

“So they’re traveling with you?  Your father will be pleased.” The Imperial grinned, assuming that Serana’s companion was a mindless thrall.  While a natural assumption, she had to snort derisively at the arrogant man.

“He’s not a thrall like your pet there.”  She jerked her chin towards the Dunmer, who grimaced but otherwise remained silent as her eyes fell on the scabbed over bite marks on his dark gray throat.  “He follows me because he chooses to.”

“Does he not know what you are?”  The Altmer woman asked, openly astonished by this fact.

“He does, but he’s doesn’t care.  And no, he’s made no mention of wanting to become….something else.”  She doubted Zwei would agree if she ever worked up the courage to ask, and she had no intention of giving him her cursed blood in any event.

“Foolish mortal, content to remain a sheep while surrounded by lions.”  Siroxto scoffed as he echoed her father’s rhetoric, and waved his hand in dismissal.  “Perhaps we’d be better off without someone so meek?”

_ If only you knew _ , Serana mused, her gaze unflinching as she stood to her feet.  “If you’re here to bring me home, I’d rather we get it over with now, Siroxto.”

“I rather like this city.”  Siroxto stated, and made no intention to move from his seat.  “I think we’ll stay. That woman by the bar certainly seems like she’d make for a delightful….dinner guest.”  Serana tensed as Siroxto glanced towards Mjoll, with the Altmer grinning openly at what he’d just implied, as if it were some grand jest.  His smile faded when he read the disgust on her face though, and scoffed. “Why must you insist on refusing what you are, Serana? Our lord blessed you personally, and you refuse to use the power you’ve been given to take what you want.  I could never understand why you so stubbornly cling to what you were, when you’ve surpassed these pathetic mortals in every way.”

“What you consider strength, I’ve come to see as a curse, Siroxto.”  Serana hissed, ignoring the way the high elf and Siroxto both tensed, prepared to spring at her while the Dunmer wisely took a step back.  “I won’t lie, I enjoy the power Molag Bal ‘blessed’ me with so long ago, and I have no intention of giving it up, but don’t think for a moment just because we’re stronger somehow makes us better than the rest of this world’s people.”

“Such passion.  If you believed even half as strongly in your father’s plans, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, girl.”  Siroxto spat back, his face twisting into a malicious snarl that highlighted his sunken cheeks much more than before.

Having gotten under his skin, Serana smirked and casually summoned tendrils of her considerable power to the palm of her hand.  Icy tendrils of frost swirled around her fingertips, her eyes no longer holding a measure of dread for the man. “What happened to not being able to goad you, Siroxto?”

“You’ve hidden the Scroll, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find it once we take you back to the castle.”  Siroxto growled, no longer attempting to keep his calm as he drew his skull capped longsword from its black sheathe, the sound drawing the attention of everyone in the inn as both of his companions readied themselves in the same instant.  “Surrender Serana, or we’ll paint this place with the blood of all of these pathetic weaklings while you watch, helplessly, just as you were when Molag claimed you and your mother!”

The reminder of that night was as fresh to her now as it’d been then, and it was enough for Serana’s calm facade to shatter like glass.  Frozen momentarily, she only just avoided the Dunmer as he charged at her, but she spun aside of the shield he tried to slam into her, her frost covered hand materializing a six foot spear of ice which she promptly buried into the man’s back.  Blood decorated the table and floor in a crimson spray as the thrall fell dead atop its surface, sending dinnerware flying in every direction. The screams from the other patrons as the civilians noticed the fighting immediately followed, but Serana was too focused on the two vampires to care.

The Altmer raised her hand, fire flowing from her fingertips as Serana jumped back and away not moments after putting the Dunmer down for good, only to slam into the back wall when she landed.  Fire and vampires didn’t mix, and it was a near instinctual response for them to run from it when utilized in such a manner. Despite orders to the contrary, it quickly became apparent the woman was enraged as she continued to storm after Serana, flames consuming everything in their path.  Returning fire with her own blast of ice, Serana grimaced as she pushed forward, the stream of frost counteracting the flames enough that she didn’t get burned to a crisp. Glancing over the Altmer’s shoulder, she saw Siroxto was busy holding back a heavily armored Nord guard, leaving him unable to stop his partner.

And then the flames stopped.  Aiming her hand towards Siroxto when their opposing elements were no longer meeting in the middle, Serana had to wave her hand to clear away the fog they’d created, only to gape when she saw what had interrupted the Altmer’s attack.  “Zwei!” Ignoring the Imperial’s annoyed grunt from her attack as he lazily blocked the guard before grabbing him by the throat, Serana only had eyes on the fact the dog was standing between her and the woman’s fiery onslaught.

Except the Altmer mage was stunned, because instead of turning into a pile of ash, Zwei wagged his tail and let his tongue hang out of mouth, as if he were under a hot stream of water.  When the fire stopped, the swirling flames around the dog only grew brighter as he bunched up his legs beneath him, and launched himself at the opposing vampire, much to their equal shock and surprise.  Despite having seen Zwei utterly crush a troll, it still left Serana more than a little flat footed when the elf looked down to see the dog had passed right through her midriff, burning a hole right through her before slamming into Siroxto’s back leg when the dog hit the floor at a run.

The elder vampire, having since engaged Mjoll, took a knee, just in time for the powerfully built woman to take his head clean off with her two handed axe.  “Foul beasts.” She cursed as both Siroxto and the Altmer turned into piles of ash, their only remains being their weapons and equipment. To Mjoll, they’d merely been enemies that had threatened the people of Riften.

To Serana, a nightmare from her mortal days had just been decimated as if he were an insignificant insect, except when she looked towards the pile of ash from Siroxto, she could only watch, stunned, as they began to flow out of a nearby window in a thin, gray line, as if being pulled out of the inn on an unseen wind.  “That’s not normal.” She stammered, ignoring the whine from Zwei as well as the curious glance from Mjoll. “Zwei, we’re leaving.” Despite her promise, Serana had far more pressing things on her mind as she slipped out the window after Siroxto’s departing ash, a sentence she never thought would  _ ever  _ cross her mind.  Without looking back as she landed outside in a crouch before taking off, she heard Zwei throw himself through the window, the sound of shattering glass following just behind him.  Speed was of the essence, because she had no idea what was going on, how a vampire’s ashes had suddenly picked itself up and started to fly through the air as if being pulled somewhere, and with how quickly it was moving through the trees that surrounded most of Riften as it flew northwestward once leaving the inn and the city behind, there wasn’t a lot of time to think in either event.

With the setting sun on more or less at their backs as the ash suddenly veered west, towards the lake, Serana growled a curse when the trail of ash picked up yet more speed, leaving even her behind as it snaked its way over the water that surrounded most of the city once it’d put some distance between them.  She could easily guess where Siroxto’s remains were going, having passed a number of old ruins and forsaken watchtowers, most likely crawling with bandits, necromancers, or worse, more vampires, so she slowed when she spotted a tower atop a moderately large mountain ridge, with the lake’s edge at its southern edge, a river snaking away towards the southeast and northwest, through the otherwise gently rolling hills and forests that marked the areas around the Rift.

Sure enough, the ashes flew through an arrow slit near the tower’s top, before letting her eyes fall to the gatehouse keeping most people from simply walking in.  Most people, but not a vampire, but even she wasn’t foolish enough to just go charging into enemy territory without a plan. She paused though when she looked up, feeling eyes on her back.  Turning around, she at first didn’t see anything, but when what could only be described as a bird like ‘scoff’ reached her ears from a lone tree’s uppermost branches, she saw a raven with softly glowing red eyes.  Cocking her head, Serana was about to turn around to focus on getting into the watchtower without being discovered, when Zwei skidded to a halt, and began to clamber about the tree, barking excitedly all the while.  “Zwei, quiet.” He whined but ran back to Serana’s side, with the elder vampire only giving the red eyed raven one last glance before leading the way to the east side of the tower. “We need to find a way inside without being discovered.”

Sticking to the shadows as best they could, Serana didn’t look up when the raven took off towards the southwest, towards the mountains in the distance.  Shaking her head at Zwei’s strange reaction, she put it out of her mind as they skirted the tower, keeping to the trees and the rocks that littered the area, with the nearby mountains soon residing at their backs.  With the sun falling further, blanketing the land, she saw torchlight begin to flicker in the tower’s upper floors, but just before she was about to look away, a flash of dark gray light blacked out the torches, shrouding the tower in darkness.  Just as quickly it faded, pulled back into the tower, before a man’s shadow took shape right before her eyes. “Damn her!” The Imperial’s smug voice was dripping with rage as the crash of something heavy reached her sensitive ears. “Molag Bal take her wretched soul for this humiliation!”

“How is he still alive?!  How did he restore himself?!”  Serana gasped, too shocked by this revelation to move, until she felt Zwei bump into her side with his wet nose.  With a jolt, she snapped her head down towards the dog, her rattled senses focusing on something she could, at least partially, understand as their eyes met.  Ever the picture of calm concern, Zwei ran in a circle at her feet before his head turned towards something he’d spotted. Following his gaze, Serana felt the tiniest smile appear on her face when she saw a tunnel, cleverly concealed between two large rocks that led into a narrow chasm just beneath the tower.  “Flying into the tower wouldn’t be a good idea for us, and I can’t take you with in my bat form, so secret tunnel it is. Good job Zwei.”

“Woof!”  Zwei barked softly, ever the intelligent companion as he padded silently after her without another ‘word’.

 

========

 

**The Rift**

**Autumnwatch Tower**

Despite Brelyna’s injury disappearing about the time she’d expected it would, leaving only a sliver of a scar to speak of it’s existence, Raven was left to idle away the hours until the dark elf woke up the following morning.  Hearing movement from below, thanks mostly to the new hole in the tower from the battle yesterday, Raven looked down to see Brelyna gingerly sitting up, one hand to her stomach until she looked down to see she was fine. “We need to talk.”  Raven called out before going back to what had caught her attention. “Clean up, get dressed, and meet me up here when you’ve prepared.”

Brelyna didn’t say a word, no doubt very confused by what she was feeling now from having her Aura unlocked, but her much more mundane concerns would take precedence.  Having prepared a hearty breakfast from a deer she’d been lucky to find wandering close to the tower, Raven had left a heated bowl of stew for the dark elf after helping herself.  The pails of still steaming water, as well a much larger bucket the now dead bandits, who’s bodies she’d piled up outside before setting the lot ablaze although not before looting their valuables, had been using to bathe themselves, had also been dragged into the tower.  Raven chuckled humorlessly to herself when she heard Brelyna mutter, “She’s certainly thought of everything….”

“Not everything.”  Raven muttered softly, far too softly for even her companion’s ears to pick up on.  Shaking her head, Raven only hesitated a moment before pulling out a very beat up Scroll from a pouch she rarely ever opened.  Turning on the blocky, metallic case of an older fashioned model Scroll, before they’d become near paper thin with an enormous memory drive despite this, Raven turned to the camera function before aiming the device at the strange stone wall on its own platform, a small flight of dark stone stairs leading to a pedestal that connected to the tower’s roof.  At the far end of the pedestal, a curved, stone wall of the same dark stone rested, yet it was the strange script across most of its surface that had caught her eye. It was the eerie feeling that made her teeth tingle when she’d gotten close that had really gotten her attention though.

Snapping a picture of the words carved into the stone wall, Raven closed the camera app, only to pause when her gaze fell on the much happier, younger, Raven staring back at her.  She knew the picture that served as her Scroll’s wallpaper all too well, since it was the only shred of her days at Beacon she’d allowed herself this whole time, if one didn’t count her sword and the Dust filled sheath on her hip.  That and it harkened back to when she’d actually been remotely happy before realizing just how truly horrifying Ozpin’s enemy was, let alone what he himself had done since his curse began. With a grumble and an angry shake of her head, Raven powered down the blocky piece of Remnant crap before stuffing it back into her pouch.

By the time Brelyna came up, dressed in fur lined robes Raven had been able to scavenge from the bandits’ loot, instead of her earlier dark blue attire, she’d calmed down for the most part, her arms crossed over her armored chest, her back to the mostly still intact stairs.  “I’ve noticed...something off about myself.” Brelyna began as she slowly approached, Raven turning her head only enough to peer over her left shoulder, “I feel….stronger. I’m upright when I should be laid out on my back, and I’ve more than once felt like someone was watching me, but-”

“No one’s there.  That sensation will go away, Brelyna.  The rest will only become more pronounced.”

“What did you do, exactly?”  She asked, her tone one of academic curiosity rather than veiled fear.

Slowly turning to face the woman fully, Raven drew her sword partially from its sheath, removed her glove, and before Brelyna could stop her, ran her bare palm across the edge.  When she did, her Aura flashed, a crimson red to match her Semblance, before revealing her undamaged hand to the dunmer’s startled gaze. “I unlocked your Aura. The same power that affords me the strength and speed you saw yesterday, as well as the ability to use a Semblance, unique to the individual.”

“So it manifests itself as a shield, and these...Semblances you’ve talked about are a byproduct of this…,”  Brelyna asked before adding, almost as an afterthought, “suddenly so much of your rambling the other day makes sense.”

“Among other things.”  Raven said as she put her glove back on, while choosing to ignore the following comment.  “It’s a manifestation of a person’s soul. Aura generation takes constant practice and discipline, but eventually it’ll become second nature.  A Semblance….is much harder to discover for some people, and even harder to master.”

“Because of it being unique to the individual?”  She asked, her mind having gone back to the brief if rambling conversation they’d had at the College’s central ‘fountain’.

“There’s still much we don’t understand about what constitutes a soul, how a Semblance is manifested that’s unique to that person, let alone the connection between the two.  Some people who unlock their Aura can use their Semblance right away, but others need a specific trigger to discover what they’re capable of. It can be anything from a powerful enough emotion, coupled with certain memories or experiences that defined you and which shaped you into who you are now, to simply stubbing your toe hard enough to leave a bruise, but that’s only half the equation.  A Semblance can grow alongside the person, and like any power, depending on how you train it and with it, leads to more ways you can discover on how to use it.” Drawing her crimson Dust coated blade in that moment, Raven ripped a portal open to Tai. “While I don’t have a g-...a bow to use, I could potentially launch an attack through one of my gates to surprise an enemy without them being able to see it coming, as long as I know where my other end is, and if the connection isn’t directly aimed at the person I’ve opened up a gate to.”  Or she could use her gates to have Cinder launch a fireball at Ruby for the simple reason she’d sounded too much like her mother, Summer….but she wasn’t about to mention  _ that  _ here.

“I see.”  Brelyna said as the portal snapped shut.  “Which means, if logic is to be believed with what you’ve told me, what you did to that bandit was separate from your Semblance and your Aura.”

Raven flinched, her pale brow furrowing as she muttered, “....I had hoped you hadn’t been able to see that.”

“So it’s true, you’re somehow different from even your world’s standards.”  Brelyna noted, that academic curiosity giving way to something else, something Raven couldn’t immediately identify.  It wasn’t threatening though, which strangely worried her for a reason she was just as puzzled over. “The fact you try to hide it suggests it’s sought after, it brings you a lot of shame or discomfort, or a bit of both.  How did-”

“We will  _ not  _ talk about this further.”  Flatly refusing her attempts to discuss her status as the Spring Maiden was just as much admitting she was right, but simply remaining silent would’ve no doubt led to the same outcome.  With a sigh, Raven looked away, her ‘mask’ slipping away further in the same breath. “...We should get moving.”

“On that we can agree.”  Brelyna softly replied, before reluctantly starting back down to the main floor of the tower.  She paused at the top of the stairs though, her own head bowed as she pulled her hood back over her face.  “Despite what you said yesterday, Raven, you still saved my life by...doing what you did. Between that and what I understand about this entire affair as well as what you’ve said about your Semblance, you’re not the person you proclaim yourself to be.  That tough, lone survivor mentality is the real mask.”

Raven didn’t move for the longest time until she felt a snowflake touch her right cheek.  Looking up to the gray, cloudy skies, a sky that matched the waves of conflicting emotions in her chest, she looked towards the stone stairs and shook her head, whispering, “If you only knew the kind of person I’ve been....”  While Brelyna didn’t hear the remark, it wasn’t truly intended for her to hear in the first place, Raven knew who she was, what she’d set into motion, and if the dark elf ever learned half of everything she’d....well, with any luck she’d remain ignorant to Raven’s true nature.  Because as shocking as it might’ve been to consider just a few days ago, she had come to at least more than tolerate being around Brelyna Maryon despite the sheer number of differences between them.

The walk down the mountain was silent save for the occasional question about their respective worlds.  While Raven’s views on Beacon were less than kind, let alone the Four Kingdoms, she found it was easier to ignore the Goliath between them regarding what Brelyna really wished to know about, both to satiate her own curiosity, and to understand why Raven was so...sensitive about it, as well as a number of other things she was just as hesitant to speak about.  Specifically, Tai, and the rest of Team STRQ when that aspect of her life was inevitably brought up again. Raven’s blatant refusal to speak on what had broken them apart was at least heeded, but everything else was up for debate apparently as Brelyna asked about how they’d met and gotten along in the first place.

“Not well.”  Raven chuckled gruffly, having just gotten done explaining their first day together, a bit of light returning to her red eyes as she led the way through the treacherously rocky terrain, ever making their way downward towards what looked like the edge of a river snaking through the gently rolling countryside.  “My brother and I didn’t make it easy at least. Qrow’s Semblance has the ability to cause misfortune to follow him wherever he goes, so he’s tried his entire life to keep everyone he loves at a distance lest they end up being hurt. Add on top of being raised outside the Kingdoms, where only the strong are able to survive, and it made for a very challenging childhood for us both.”  She’d yet to admit to being a bandit, a leader of their own tribe no less, and she had no intention of bringing it up if she could help it. Still, she paused after jumping down a small cliff, and watched as Brelyna followed her, landing in a crouch before her right leg gave out, forcing her to take a knee. She yelped, but the dark orange flash of her Aura as it formed around her, like the flames she called to her hands, protected her from scraping the skin from her knee when she hit the ground.

“Did I-?”  She stammered, unable to finish the thought as she stood and examined the torn pants leg, where her dark flesh remained unmarked as her Aura faded.

“You did.”  Raven informed her matter of factly, a genuine, if small, smile the only hint she was quietly proud of Brelyna.  “As I said before, it takes practice to maintain an Aura, but as you’ve already observed, you’re stronger now in more ways than one.  It also only took a thought for you to activate it, albeit for a brief moment.”

“Why doesn’t everyone has an Aura if it’s so powerful?  Surely it’d help in taking down the Grimm you’ve mentioned?”

“Everyone does have an Aura since every living thing has a soul, not counting the Grimm since they’re born without a soul, but only those who’ve had their soul’s innate power unlocked can do anything with it.  And...not everyone who has power has the will to use it, or they use it for the wrong reasons….” Raven trailed off before moving forward without another word, with Brelyna picking up the pace lest she was left behind.  Snow gave way to plain gray skies as they moved back the way they’d come, but the chill remained even as that too gave way to a measure of warmth that hadn’t been present before. It took the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon to make it down, between a couple stops to rest and eat something.  Once leaving the mountains, Raven spotted a watchtower much like the one they’d cleared yesterday. Glancing towards Brelyna, she grimaced when she saw the thoughtful frown on the woman’s face.

She forgot all about that when she glanced towards the town she’d since seen in the distance, and saw a fast moving shadow running towards the watchtower.  The flickering lights of dozens of torches swarming what she assumed was the town’s inn as well as the town itself, were a curiosity in its own right. But it was the light gray and black blur at the shadowy figure’s heel that had Raven’s attention.  Before Brelyna could stop her, she darted ahead, disappearing between two trees, transforming only when she was sure Brelyna couldn’t see her. Flying off into the darkening sky, Raven alighted on a tree some distance ahead of the pair of figures, her red eyes taking them in as they darted close.

_ Zwei… _  She thought, identifying the dog the moment they got close, with her gaze immediately falling on the strange line of ash that summarily disappeared into the watchtower.  That Tai wasn’t with him was worrying, but with how she’d demonstrated her Semblance for Brelyna again, she knew he was still alive at least. It was the only thing that kept her from demanding to know how the dog’s companion had gotten her hands on him, and now that she could see them clearly, the pale, dark haired woman at Zwei’s side did seemed….unusual.  Determined to figure out what was going on, Raven flew back once she saw them press on, as stealthily as they could manage, their destination all but apparent.

“Raven?!  Where’d you go?”  Brelyna shouted as loudly as she dared, only to jump when her companion stepped out from behind a tree on the other side of the river.  “Where did you go?! How’d you-...nevermind, you probably won’t tell me anyway.” It was only once she’d found her way across the shallows of the river between them, that Brelyna saw the strange look Raven was casting towards the watchtower.

“I found Tai’s dog.”  She stated simply. “He’s traveling with someone else, and I want to know why.”  Raven didn’t wait for Brelyna to analyze every word, knowing she’d hear the fear and uncertainty in her voice regarding her...Tai’s fate.  Already she could hear the gears turning in her companion’s mind as it was as she led the way towards the gates, her sword already out of its sheath.  Slowing, Raven turned to Brelyna. “...I know you want to get ba-”

“Just lead the way Raven.”  Brelyna stated, the flare of her newly acquired Aura as well as the flames she called to her open hands, all the answer she needed.

 

=======

 

**Inside Treva’s Watch…**

As she’d come to expect, Treva’s Watch had been converted into a vampire nest.  The several coffins they’d discovered in the dark depths of the tower were a dead giveaway, as were the cages that had only recently been set up for ease of access to freshly caught ‘cattle’, because that was all the clan saw mortals as, disposable food sources and little else.  Her mind was on the tower’s topmost floor though, which meant they’d have to clear out the bottom lest Siroxto led the vampires here against Riften out of petty vengeance for the defeat she’d dealt him. That, and Serana wasn’t about to let her father’s men return home to tell she was invested in stopping him.

When she started to raise her hand, a flame appearing between her fingers, the vampire paused when Zwei barked softly, barely above a whisper.  The stirring from the coffins as their occupants awoke, coupled with the frightened whispers from those already in the cage that dominated most of the dungeon like space, had Serana growling a curse as she looked down.  Only to pause when she saw Zwei glowing, a gray field coalescing around his furry body. When their eyes met, Serana felt something...reach out from Zwei, right as a wave of dizziness hit them both. In the momentary confusion felt by the elder vampire, Serana heard...words, echoed deep within her soul.

_ “For it is through the people we swear to protect, which pushes us to persevere against true evil.  Through hardship, we bind strength to push back those with grim thoughts. To face the howling dark we combine the strength of souls and fight for victory everlasting. The power of the sun above to the deep radiance of the sunken moon. No misgivings will be left to scatter. By my embrace, we share our burdens, and slay those that would harm the innocent.  And by our shared light, we protect one another.” _

Aloud, those within earshot only heard a series of barks and a gruff growl.  Stumbling a step, Serana put a hand to her head, the question on the tip of her tongue as to what Zwei had just done to her.  She felt...different, not bad, just different. With a bark, she jerked her head back up, just as the first of the wooden coffins were opened up from the inside. She reacted instantly, drawing back her arm she hit the closest coffin, punching through the feeble wood and crushing the thorax beneath it, before grabbing hold of the wood and hurling it to her side, its edge bisecting another lesser vampire.

She could tell that they were confused, here was another undead like them, so far superior to them, and yet she chose to kill them rather than make them serve her.  She cared little for what they thought or felt, only for the threat they represented. She set two others ablaze and shot an ice lance through the head of yet another as she decided to return to her father soon. This way he would stop looking for her, she would bring him the Scroll, and he could burn his eyes out for all she cared when he tried to read it.

Even lost in thought the remaining vampires, if they could be called such in comparison to her, were no threat as she tore through them with blade and magic. “Time to find Siroxto… and ask him a few question before I kill him.  For good, this time.” She muttered angrily and stomped towards the stairs. She didn't slow down in the slightest as she raced upwards and wasted no time to bash open the heavy oak door to reach what seemed to be a derelicted courtyard. “Siroxto! Show yourself! I’ve got no time for games!”

“So forceful, perhaps you are your father's daughter after all?” He mocked her as a swarm of bats materialized, taking the shape of a newly armed and armored Siroxto on the opposite end of the open space.

“Don't waste my time with idle prattling, tell my why you yet live or I’ll tear the knowledge from your broken skull if I must.” Serana snapped at the man, eyes flashing in response to his taunt.

“Such venom…No, I think you are more akin to your viper of a mother after all.” He mused idly even as he slowly drew a new sword from the sheath on his back. It happened so fast that if she had been mortal, she would have died without noticing anything. The ground beneath Siroxto cracked and exploded as he pushed himself towards her, sword screaming for her neck the dagger she held onto barely deflecting the attack before she retaliated as his blade fell to the side.  Jumping backwards to evade her vicious followup slash to his throat, she pursued him.

They fought at speeds far greater than mortal eyes could normally track.  The weapons they wielded were unable to stand up to the power they put in their attacks, soon cracked and shattered beneath the force of their blows.  As such, their hands, which had since grown sharp talons, swiped at one another, sharper than the steel they had just wielded a moment ago. Ancient stone cracked beneath the force of their steps as they clashed again and again, tearing into one another but such wounds didn't mean anything to beings such as they. Almost healing immediately afterwards, the two of them continued to trade blows, it was only when Serana manage to shred his throat open that she got a reaction.

“Oh my, what will you do now? Kill me again?  I’ll just reform you know.” He chortled at her, amused at the anger she displayed. “Besides, I don't have any intentions on playing around anymore.” With that ominous declaration his form began to grow dark, and power seemed to seep through invisible cracks in the fabric of the world before an explosion of force heralded his transformation into the form of a true vampire lord.  Having shed his mortal facade, he now looked more akin to carrion than a living being, but it was undeniable that he was now more powerful than just a moment ago. “What will you do now I wonder, come on! Show me your might, daughter of Harkon!” Two skeletal looking wings spread from his back, his clawed, malformed hands thrown out to either side, each wing tapped with razor sharp pinions while tendrils of dark blue swirled around Siroxto’s feet.

She bit her lip in anger, especially since she hated her vampiric appearance.  It only served to remind her of the monster she’d become so very long ago. She might look like a mortal, she might walk among them, but the thirst for their blood would forever haunt her.  She set her face in a mask of cold disdain. She refused to follow his lead, she would fight him her own way or not at all. When she made no move to transform herself, he chuckled in dark amusement. “Always so prideful… pride will be your undoing.”

“Funny, I was going to say the same thing!”  Both turned as a woman in red and black armor fell from the sky, a crimson katana in her hand.  Shooting towards the ground like a comet, Siroxto only just managed to jump back and away as her sword touched the side of his cheek on its way past.  Fear, genuine fear twisted his hideous visage as he landed unevenly several feet away, just in time for both vampires to notice a dark skinned dunmer stalking forward, flames swirling in both hands.

“This is my affair.”  Serana growled.

“And that is my ex-boyfriend’s dog.”  Raven countered.

Daring to look down for just a moment, she asked, “Zwei, is that true?”

“Woof!”  Zwei answered, jumping in place.

“Fair enough.” Serana concluded even as she dashed past the sword wielding woman and buried a fist in the stomach of the recovering vampire lord, slamming him against the nearest wall and cracking it only to follow up with lighting from her hands. Siroxto wasted no time in throwing up a ward even as he used his other hand to pour flames at her.  Their physical contest had evolved into one of magic as well, and the two of them threw spells at one another with an ease and of such magnitude that even the greatest of mortal spellcasters would have been given pause.

“You think mortals can protect you?!  From  _ me _ ?” He screamed at the top his lungs. “Lord Harkon has gifted me beyond all others of his servants! Molag Bal chose me! Because I offered him the lives of countless innocents, just like your father did!  What hope do you have against that?!”

“Molag Bal chose  _ me  _ on that wretched night as well!” Serana hissed back, eyes glowing are deadly ruby red as she poured more power into her magic. “I survived where countless others perished.  Because unlike you, I’m a Daughter of Coldharbour!” Throwing her hand out forward, a beam of ice flew from her cupped palms, her fingers stretched towards the vampire like claws.  Her orange eyes burned brighter with the exertion, but she hardly noticed the strain as she pushed the so called lord back a step, then another as he tried to counter with his flames.  Jumping to the side, she let his flames scorch the ground as she closed the distance, using the fog they’d created from their dueling magics and his confusion to her advantage, to close the distance before he knew the danger.

She grabbed him by the front and used all of her monstrous strength to hurl him into the door she had come through, following him with nearly the same speed she had tossed him as he crashed through the doorway, his wings shattering for the moment before they began to regenerate again.  However, in the narrow space of the corridors, they would only serve to hinder him even as she stomped down on his right leg, breaking it as she drew a small concealed dagger and jammed it through his throat.

“This again, what-” He stopped in horror as the gem that was embedded in her dagger began to glow.

“No more running.” Serana told him vindictively as his soul was slowly torn from his body and absorbed into the gem. “If it’s any consolation, I’ll use your soul to fuel some impressive enchantments.”  Throwing his still gushing, gutted body to the ground, she panted and stumbled a step, having exhausted herself considerably from the fight. More importantly though, Siroxto, when he turned into ash for the second time that very day, didn’t get back up again, which meant he was truly gone.  Pushing herself to her feet, she started back for the courtyard. “Alright, time to talk to Zwei’s owner’s ex-boyfriend, as if a magical fire hell dog wasn’t confusing enough.” Serana decided and walked back out onto the courtyard in time to see a burning thrall get cut down by the swordswoman in the next instant.  Her speed was impressive, as was her companion’s apparent magical aptitude, but that, like many things, were a distant concern as Serana waited only a moment before getting their attention.

“You busy? I can come back later if you want?” Serana asked with a lazy shrug, glad of the distraction in either event.  There was too much going through her head to deal with what they’d just accomplished, but she managed a watery smile when Zwei bounded back to her side, yapping cheerfully until she rubbed the top of his head.  The fact there was ashes coming off of his fur told her he’d been busy as well.

Raven, for her part, merely huffed and sheathed her long, curved blade with a clearly practiced twirl of her wrist.  “I’m not the one that clearly had a personal investment in this fight.”

“Careful Raven, she’s a vampire and a powerful one at that!”  The Dunmer companion of the newly identified Raven told her friend.

“Careful Raven, this Dunmer states the obvious.” Serana couldn't help but snark back even as Zwei shot from one woman to the next, eager to get belly rubs from all of them.  When it became apparent he was going to be ignored by all of them, his ears fell and he whined sadly.

“Hmph.”  With a scoff, Raven crossed her arms over her chest before casually putting herself next to Brelyna.  “Vampire or not, powerful or not, you’ve clearly exhausted yourself after your confrontation with that creature.  I doubt you’d prove a challenge as you are now, provided you made the mistake of trying to attack.”

“Someone’s full of themselves.”  Stated an unimpressed Serana even as she silently admitted the human among them had a point.

“I’m trying to fix that.” Brelyna chimed in from the side even as the two women ignored her as they continued their stare down.

“You’re not easily cowed… I like that.” Raven allowed with a smirk. “And given the damage all around us, you’re more than just words.  I can respect that.”

“Oblivion, are you serious?” The mage next to her questioned annoyed. “She is a bloodsucking fiend-”

“That can hear you.”  Serana stated dryly.

“Who wouldn't hesitate to drain your blood the moment you let down your guard-”

“I resent that remark actually.”  Serana grumbled, her eyes returning to their previously dull burn as the adrenaline bled out of her system.

“Don’t trust it, it might look like a woman, but it’s just a beast.”

“And I seem to recall your people were slavers.”  Raven shot back, much to Serana’s surprise when Brelyna stammered, opened her mouth, and just as quickly shut it. “Now then, how did you come across the furball?”

“Well, he came across me. Freed me from a tomb actually and murdered all the henchman and beasts sent to ‘free’ me..”  She said with a shrug, much to Brelyna’s astonishment as Zwei jumped up, as if to confirm Serana’s words, while Raven blinked.

“What did those girls feed the dog?” Raven mumbled lowly to herself before she returned her attention back to Serana. “And there was no one with him?”

“No one.” Serana confirmed sadly as she scratched Zwei behind his ears, it seemed like she would need to part with her friend, her only friend in oblivion knows how long soon. “I… assume you wish to take Zwei with you.”

“Brothers no!” Raven denied that assumption immediately. “Just look at him he’s just so… so…whatever, point is if you come across a tall blonde man with a tattoo, and that grins like a moron, then you found Tai and you can give Zwei to him… and if you do that tell him to bring his lazy ass to the College of Winterhold.”

“O...kay.”  Serana muttered, before just as quickly turning her gaze towards Zwei.  “Are you alright with this arrangement?” He whined but nodded before circling her feet.  “Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

To her surprise, when she looked up, she nearly recoiled when she saw Raven had gotten close enough to be practically nose to nose with her.  “You’ve had your Aura unlocked.” She said suddenly, as if having come to a realization when their eyes met. Serana could only blink when she looked down at her hand, only to see a flash of deep, dark purple race across her pale flesh, that encompassed her entire body.  Glaring down at Zwei next, Raven’s red eyes narrowed to slits. “Somehow it doesn’t surprise me you’d like her enough to do it if she’s anything like the girls back home.”

“Woof!”  Zwei replied, all but confirming the woman’s suspicions.

“Uh… Aura?” Serana asked, confused. “Could you explain to me what that is… I’m afraid Zwei’s explanation was a little lacking.”  The dog visibly rolled his eyes at the dry retort, but otherwise remained quiet.

“Can someone explain to me what’s going on as well?”  Brelyna asked as her eyes ping ponged between the two women and Zwei.

“....Are you heading north by chance…?”  Raven trailed off as she stepped back, her arms still crossed over her chest.

“Serana….Serana Volkihar, and I had other business I needed to tend to in a nearby dwemer ruin first, but yes, I plan to head up north by Solitude soon.” She told them with a slight twitch over her right eye. “Family business.”

“Of what kind?”

“To get my father to stop sending these morons after me.”  She gestured towards the respective piles of ash and the dead thralls scattered around the courtyard, all of which had been killed by Raven and the dark elf she assumed while she’d been busy with Siroxto.  “And to stop him from trying to destroy the world as we know it by blotting out the sun.”

“Is that even possible?”  Brelyna gasped.

“According to an Elder Scroll’s prophecy, possibly.”  Serana explained, which reminded her of the fact she’d need to collect the one she needed read, or rather get someone else to read it that knew how, or give it to her father for the time being before coming up with a way to deal with his madness.  “Look, I can’t say more than that here, and since you seem to know about Aura, whatever that is, traveling together might be the best idea.”

“Except for the fact you’re….inhuman.”  Brelyna muttered, but seemed to have calmed down.  Not that it helped Serana’s opinion of her.

“I might feed on blood like all vampires, but I don’t hurt innocent people.”  Serana stated flatly, making it clear with her tone alone that this was not up for discussion further.  “Now if you’re done, we have a long road ahead of us, and I don’t like being out here exposed….too much is going on for me to feel comfortable with this place a moment longer.”  Before she started for the gate that led back out into the Rift proper, she paused, remembering the tower. “I actually need to check on something. Somehow, Siroxto came back after being killed, and I want to know how.”

“Hmm…”  Having gotten her attention, Serana cocked her head to the side, the question written on her face.  “If it’s unusual for a vampire to come back once destroyed, and given your skill with magic, I’d be willing to make a guess, but let’s see what we find before I say more.”  The look she and Brelyna shared told Serana and Zwei both that they had an idea.

Content to let them keep their silence for the moment, Serana led the way into the tower, and up the flight of stairs to the top floor.  The broken and shattered table on the far side of the simple, spartan bedroom explained the loud crash she’d heard earlier. But the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when her eyes fell on a display case, the glow of some kind of powerful enchantment on the glass, and the grisly item stored behind the glowing glass.  The softly pulsating heart, shriveled up and black, was nestled on a bed of black velvet, but no sooner had Serana gotten close did the same gray, dull light begin to spidercrack through its dessicated surface as the heart began to crumble right before their eyes.

“Whoa….this is either some very powerful necromancy, or-” the dark elf began.

“A corrupted Semblance.”  Raven finished for Brelyna, just as enraptured by the sight of the heart falling to pieces.  “How is this even possible?”

“That’s...going to take some explanation on my part.”  Serana offered, having a pretty fair idea on why it might be possible with what little she knew about whatever power Zwei had awakened inside her.  Taking a steadying breath as the rest of the heart turned into so much insubstantial ash, she tore her gaze away from the glass display case, her pale face drawn in an uncomfortable grimace.  “What do you know about Molag Bal?”

**End Notes** :  **_Nomad-117:_ ** _ Huhu, I am here as well! Did a little bit in this chapter actually, not much truth be told as Vergil had already finished most of it by the time I took a glance at things and I figured that I couldn't let him have all the fun. So yeah, sucking the soul out of out annoying regenerating friend here was kinda my idea. Not sure what to do with his soul just yet, maybe turn it into a nightlight or something like that. At any rate, I hope you liked this chapter and the development that took place in it. Make no mistake, Serana will eventually meet daddy dearest, but not just yet… probably somewhat because he is a dick and being in his presence longer than necessary is tiring but what do I know? _

**_Vergil1989:_ ** _  All told, despite my not liking some of the conversation between Raven and Brelyna, more because it just felt a bit rushed or something I guess, I think this chapter turned out alright overall.  The mantra was the real place where I had trouble, especially since how do you give an animal a way to communicate something like that? Soul to soul like that though? Well...we’ve seen enough of Zwei’s personality throughout the episodes he’s been in, to know he’s no ordinary dog, and that he’s willing to risk his own life for the greater whole when he fought alongside Oobleck despite having only met him the previous morning.  Eventually it came together, as did the rest of the chapter. _

_ As for why Siroxto had a Semblance but not a very well defined Aura?  Well, you can’t train what you don’t know about. Escaping death though, that seems to be a motivation for most vampires among the Volkihar clan, and while Siroxto was told to have brought Molag Bal into Serana, Valerica, and Harkon’s lives, that same fear of dying was likely in the back of his head as much as anyone, if not a lot more so given how many battles he’d likely been a part of before he’d become a vampire.  It made sense then that he’d find a way to make his Semblance be something that would keep him from dying even if dealt a mortal blow, allowing him to escape and recover, even if, again, he didn’t KNOW what a Semblance was, or an Aura, or any of that. As for HOW he got an Aura or a Semblance at all? Well….that’s a story for another time. :D See ya and as always, thank you for all of the continued support. _


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